


Inked future

by Shadowdianne



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-02-21 00:43:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 40,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2449007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowdianne/pseuds/Shadowdianne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Regina vowed to change her past in order to change her own ending she didn’t think that everything that had already happen it will happen once and again. But maybe with a push in a different direction the story can be rewritten… albeit if she wants that she will need to realize some things. Mention to OQ and CS but if you like those ships this fics isn’t for you, eventual SQ</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Glass Palace

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I have been thinking of this idea since last Sunday because, let’s be real, the thing that Regina wants to change her future changing the book is like “carte blanche” for the SQeers and it certainly looks like an idea from a fic. So I started playing with the muses in my head and albeit I haven’t written everything yet I have a very good idea of what I want to write.  
> Ah, and for the ones that read “Over my frozen heart” I’m thinking a little fic in which I continue the idea ;)  
> Also for anyone that is reading The Holiday I will submit the next chapter in a couple of hours since I’m still working but I couldn’t wait to submit this chapter ^^’’  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own OUAT or any of her characters.

Regina poofed herself in front of a big house half-hidden between the trees, the caramel tone in which the place had been built made a curious trick with the eyes, for a couple of seconds Regina had to focus again in the walls of the building because it looked like it was disappearing from sight.

The brunette frowned, after helping Robin with Marian she had decided to search the curious stream of magic that was certainly running in the town but except the ice-cream shop, Rumplestiskin pawn shop and her own house the other place that had enough magic to be dangerous or a threat was there, in front of her. Carefully she started to approach the house with her magic ready to explode if it was necessary. At the same time that she touched the wooden craved door she shivered, the magic that was inside was powerful but it looked weak, almost like it was constrained by something. Humming she opened the door with a push and for a moment considered the option of returning to Storybrooke and talk to Emma, Charming and the rest of "The Miraculous gang" but she dismissed the idea almost as quickly as she had thought about it, she knew that Henry would feel disappointed with her but she needed to search the magic alone.

The insides of the house were of the same caramel tone of the outsides, all of the cottage was built in wood and almost all the surfaces had symbols craved in it, the ex-mayor touched briefly one of the symbols, wondering what they could mean: she didn't recognize the meanings but she also felt the power that was contained in every single one of them.

\- Interesting- muttered when one of the symbols lighted up when she touched it. Obviously the place had some kind of magical being trapped inside, that reacted when someone magical was near it but what type of magical being could be trapped between the walls of the house was a mystery.

She kept looking inside the house, admiring the ballroom and the dormitories, gazing briefly across the living room and enjoying the view that it existed thanks to the big windows in it.

Maybe it was the magical scent of Rumplestiskin or the faint glow that came up from a little table but she squinted the place again and followed the scent of the Dark One, it wasn't powerful but definitely Rumple had been there albeit she didn't know when or why, raising her right hand she performed a spell, hoping that whatever was hiding from her eyes made an appearance.

And when in a surge of magical power something began to take form the brunette smirked, maybe she wasn't evil anymore but she definitely knew how to cast a spell. The glow that she had seen earlier returned, this time with a dark shade of blue in tow, Regina knelt, lining her eyes with the table in which a hat had appeared, at first she thought that it was a trick from Gold, maybe even a test but the hat remained when she created a fire ball and threw it at it.

\- It can't be…- murmured the brunette while considering the idea of taking the hat with he. At her back the silence had turned strained, dangerous even. She knew that the magic of the house was watching her, waiting for her to do a bad move and she knew that she needed to make a decision fast. But all her years studying magic weren't enough preparation for this, the Sorceress hat, the hat that Merlin had created before disappearing.- If the hat is here this must be the Glass Palace*- said the Queen aloud, looking at the house with new found respect, she was inside of one of the most important spells in the history of magic and she bowed her head a little while considering what she could found in the Palace, now she understood the trick of the walls, obviously the house didn't want to be found although knowing that Morgana had been an interesting creature it could also mean that the house was playing with her mind. "Rumplestisking knew about the house so he probably already know everything" thought while searching for something more, something with the enough power to save Marian or, maybe, with the enough power to change the book.

She looked through the house once again, this time knowing what type of things and magic she could found in it and it wasn't long before the house started to react to her own power, the light inside of the house disappearing for a couple of seconds become a common thing and soon enough Regina lost track of the time. After another set of trembles and flickering lights she huffed and created another fire ball. Letting the ball float above her head, she opened her mouth and with her best Evil Queen voice she warned Merlin's magic:

\- I know that you are there but you didn't stop Morgana and you won't stop me, so I command you to help me, Merlin.

There was another tremble but it didn't last long, Regina smirked, Merlin couldn't escape, the symbols and the house were his own jail but anyone with magic could enter in the place and she knew that the magician had only tried to scare her. Pitifully for the mage she wasn't Snow White.

\- Now, I see that you had seen the light; I need a couple of things from you…

SQ

Emma gritted her teeth while listening to Hook, the man sometimes got on her nerves, he was talking about that they needed some place to live, some kind of sign that they were having something serious but the blonde refused the idea of living with Hook. She certainly liked him but sometimes she felt that the pirate wanted everything from her in a blink of an eye, she wasn't the only one with trust problems, she expected to be understood when she asked for more time to think about it but after her speech about not wanting to lose the pirate Hook had believed that they needed to live together as soon as possible.

\- Listen Hook- started, trying to not raise her voice because her father was definitely listening to the conversation that they were having in the sheriff office- I told you, I don't want something like this right now, I don't feel prepared and you know that if I felt trapped I tend to run.

\- Love- said the pirate grinning a little- I promise that I would treat you well.

Emma sighed in annoyance; the man in front of her wouldn't listen, when she started to think in something that could buy her some more time David interrupted, his eyes fixing in her daughter and one of his hands in his gun.

\- I'm sorry but Emma and I need to go to patrol Hook, maybe you could talk to her later?

The blonde smiled at the prince, sometimes her family looked like a living hell but some other times she was grateful for having them. Mouthing "thanks" to her deputy she caught her jacket and kissed briefly Hook's cheek.

\- I will see you later, you know that after Elsa and the other Ice Queen or whatever is best if we patrol the city. Rain check?

\- Of course love- answered the pirate with that pained smile that he always wore. Emma started to think that anything that she could say couldn't wipe that dammed smile.

Father and daughter started patrolling, nodding and waving every time that some Storybrooke citizen approached them asking questions about the cold or the ice wall, they didn't have the answers and since last night Regina, who had promised to help Marian was missing, Emma knew that it the brunette was needed she could reach her but the silence from the ex-mayor was still something that she dreaded. Kicking a piece of ice she considered the idea of calling Regina but she dismissed the thought, she didn't know what to say to the brunette, or even if there was something that she could say, she had screwed up and the only thing that she could do was showing to Regina that she truly wanted to apologize, it had always been like that with the brunette.

Starting another road she rubbed her forearms, even with his jacket the cold was starting to become uncomfortable, looking at his left she saw David, rubbing his nose with his fingers.

\- Problems with Hook? - asked David when she saw her daughter finally acknowledge his presence.

\- You could say that- agreed the blonde. - He is trying to persuade me to live with him.

\- And you don't want to- stated David.

\- It's not that, I think that it could be a great idea but right now is too soon to do it, we don't know each other to that point and I am not only me in the package, there is also Henry, at least half the time because now that Regina is back with talking to him I suppose we will start to share him… and I think that Hook see this relationship in one way and he didn't even try to know more about Henry. I don't know if…- the blonde sighed, defeated and kicked another piece of ice.

David smiled weakly, he didn't know how to help his daughter but, putting his hands in her pockets, she tried anyway:

\- I think that you need time and I will talk to Hook if it is necessary, we came from a different land with different values in live, maybe if somebody from that talked to him…

Emma shook her head but smiled.

\- Thanks Da.. David, but I will try to solve this myself.

Both of them smiled briefly and continue with the patrolling until Emma stopped again, they were in Mifflin Street and she looked at the, still?, mayoral mansion, with worry on her eyes.

\- I will try to talk to her, how about we meet in Granny's?

The man shrugged, old habits die hard but he trusted his daughter and after all the things that Regina had done he started to trust the brunette too and it was obvious that Emma needed to talk to ex-Mayor.

SQ

Meanwhile Regina was opening Henry's book with a little smile in her face, she hadn't found anything that could help Mariam but instead she had found a little bit of magic that could help her with her problem. Firstly Merlin had tried to seduce her with power but as soon as she had made clear that she only wanted two specific things the mage had mellowed enough, in her hands it was a little flask with ink that seemed to be changing color every time, the ink, had told her Merlin could help her, she only needed to rewrite what she wanted or to write what she desired. Regina wondered for a moment if she could wipe Mariam off the story but refused to do that thing, Mariam was a mother, a wife and albeit the pixie dust she would never interfere in a family, and as much as she could hate her situation she understood the love for a child, Mariam deserved to live.

Sighing she opened the flask and, using a quill from her old days as a Queen she proceeded with the enchantment.

Until the voice of a blonde interrupted her, closing her eyes with irritation she raised from the chair that she had been sitting, as much as Emma made her furious if something had happened to Henry, Mariam or to the blonde herself Regina knew that it was better to open the door.

\- Ms Swan. Now that we have finally figured out who is behind the curse of Marian you had managed to create something that can destroy the town?- asked with a little more venom that she had truly intended, the blonde winced but kept her feet steady.

\- I only wanted to know how were you.

Regina inhaled the truth of the statement amazing her but she kept her emotions under control and gave a curt nod.

\- I am fine as you can see; now you may go, Sheriff, maybe I am not the mayor anymore but I appreciate the safety as any other citizen of this town.

The other woman chewed her lip before answering, she knew that Regina was a difficult person to talk but at least she had achieved talking with her.

\- Henry told me that you were planning something, I only wanted to know that you are ok, I don't doubt about your intentions- added quickly when Regina looked at her in rage. - I simply want to know that you are ok, even more with that Ice Queen in town.

The older woman closed her eyes before looking at the blonde, she was stuck with the savior as it seemed.

\- Come here then, but don't touch anything.

Emma nodded and followed the older woman who brought them to her study in which the ink was still changing color every few seconds.

\- What is this? - asked the blonde, one hand in the paper in which the first drop of ink was shimmering and the other grabbing the flask.

\- A very dangerous thing darling, so you better stop touching it.- came the quick and curt rely from the brunette who touched with her right hand while grabbing the flask from Emma's fingers.

Before the blonde could utter something a vortex appeared above their heads and swallowed Queen and Savior.

 

  *          **For anyone that doesn’t know what is the Glass Palace I am basing this idea in the myth of Merlin. Some of the stories say that Merlin fell in love with Morgana le Fay, a magical being that could be human or a fairy. This woman, in theory, learnt everything that she could from Merlin and later she imprisoned the man in a cage or in a palace made of glass, the palace was enchanted so nobody could hear or see Merlin so Morgana sentenced him. Later the story of Merlin and Morgana started to change but I’m basing this in the original myth**



**Well, what do you think? Should I continue with it?**


	2. The destroyed cottage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hello, so I decided to keep writing, I apologize in advantage for all the things that you can find off with my writing, this weeks are being hectic and sometimes I mix the spanish, french and english punctuation or mannerisms. But I will look more closely.  
> Anyway, I hope that all of you liked the previous chapter, I know that it suck when they are still with Hoo(d/k) but I promise to give you the SQ ending that they deserve. So please stick with me because I’m a little in love with the slow burn at this moment. Hehe  
> End with the talking, on with the chapter

Emma spat a leaf and looked at Regina with rage, she was caked in mud and leaves and the vortex had disappeared as soon as it had appeared so they now were in the middle of the forest with nothing more than a flask of ink that Emma, or Regina, the blonde didn’t know exactly who, had brought with them and Henry’s book. The blonde tried to get up but her ankles felt like jelly and she dismissed the idea after a couple of tries, closing her eyes she opened her mouth, wanting to ask, to demand an explanation.

-          Save your breath, Ms. Swan- came the curtly advise- I don’t know what are we doing here or how we have ended in the middle of the enchanted forest so I would like a help whenever you decide to move.

Emma’s neck straightened when she heard the voice of the ex-mayor who was standing in front of her with the same look that the blonde, covered in mud and with a glint of rage and frustration.

-          Have you said that we are in the enchanted forest? Again?- the incredulous tone of the blonde turned desperate when Regina simply stared at her, impassively.- I can’t have such a bad luck- muttered the blonde while trying to stand, this time her legs allowed her such task and in no time she was looking at Regina at the same eye-level.

-          Well, darling, it looks that we are here, again, and I couldn’t even preform the spell correctly so I don’t know what to do now with this- she raised her hand in which the glass of the flask shimmered, Emma frowned looking at the flask again.

-          What is this Regina?, And don’t tell me some crappy thing like it is dangerous, obviously it is.

-          Is a gift from Merlin- explained the brunette while looking closely at the clearing in which they had landed- I recognize this place- muttered, her face starting to somber.

-          Well, I don’t- grumbled the blonde while grabbing the book, it looked that it was fine although when she tried to open it she couldn’t, the leather of the cover kept closed, even when she used all of her force to open it- You have said that we are in the Enchanted Forest, which direction we should take? And this book doesn’t open, I don’t know why…

-          Because the things that are written in the book haven’t happened, at least not yet- was the response of the older woman and Emma turned to look at her, a concerned look in her face.

-          What do you mean? - asked while approaching the body of the brunette, Regina was tense like a bowstring and when Emma touched her back without realizing she jumped a little, her impeccable demeanor  crumbling to pieces, her eyes fixed in something that was beyond the trees, something that resembled the roof of a cottage.- Regina?- tried the blonde again, lowering her voice while tightening her grip on the book.

-          This place was… is, my father’s house, when she married my mother his father gave him the cottage.

-          And why are you so worried? Is obvious that we have fallen near your old house, we could use the shelter.

-          You don’t understand Miss Swan, the cottage was demolished. I didn’t want to know that the place in which Daniel…- the voice of Regina broke but she insisted, her eyes still fixed in the building, her hands in tight fists and the flask still in one of them.- I demolished the place, it was the only solution for me, for him.

Emma sighed and placed a hand between Regina’s shoulder blades, and with her finest voice she asked again.

-          So if this place is standing it means that we are in the past?

The brunette nodded.

-          Although I can’t say in which moment of the past but it looks like the magic ink understood something very different than the task that I asked for.

SQ

Meanwhile David had started to feel restless, Emma had been with Regina for two hours now and still she hadn’t call him, although his daughter was in fact very special and jealous of her own time he knew that if Emma felt that the thing between Regina and her was going to be long she would have called him. With a frown she tried to contact her daughter via phone but it went to the voicemail.

To make matters worse Hook entered in Granny’s, obviously searching for Emma.

-          Mate, have you seen Emma? I want to talk to her but she doesn’t answer my calls… I don’t know if this thing works but the only thing that answers me is a “tut”

David shook his head and hid his smile when the pirate complained about the mobile.

-          She hasn’t called me either, but she wanted to talk with Regina, I have seen her a couple of hours ago, so if we wait a little bit more I’m sure that she will call us back.

-          I hope so mate, I don’t like when she is with Regina, since Robin and Marian Emma is only thinking about the past and regretting her decision.

The other man sighed.

-          I think that it is a little bit more complicated than that…

-          How much mate? - pressed the pirate.

“I hope that Emma comes here fast”- was the last thought of the prince before trying to answer the leather covered man.

SQ

-          So let me get this straight- was saying Emma while walking to one extreme to another of the clearing- This ink is a magical gift that Merlin gave to you after you founded her jail of glass of whatever and with this ink you planned to write your own happy ending in Henry’s book.

-          Exactly darling, but you entered in my house and somehow, someway, we are here.

Emma pressed her nasal septum trying not to cry in frustration.

-          I am really starting to think that magic is not only a bunch of problems but also a manipulative creature.

-          Maybe you are right, some wizards had the same theory too before the curse but we are getting carried away, Emma, we need to go there.

-          And why would you want to go there Regina? If they see us the explanations that we are going to give will be weak to say something positive!

The brunette gave her a pensive look and chewed her lower lip briefly.

-          You want to see Daniel- realized Emma suddenly. Sitting in front of Regina she left the book in the bed of leaves- You think that you could change you own future with that?

Regina sighed.

-          No, of course not Ms. Swan, I wouldn’t put a man over Henry and if I changed the future I wouldn’t have casted the curse so he…

-          He wouldn’t be here when we returned. - finished the blonde from her and Regina nodded.

-          I guess I only want to know in what time are we, if I am still a child, if I am yet to be born… and maybe with that information we can start making a plan to come back to Storybrooke.

Emma was a decisive woman, she had had to be when she was younger and now she was grateful of that so when Regina started making plans she was already making lies and excuses if someone or “someones” caught them.

-          Ok, it looks like a good idea, but firstly… you think that you could disguise us? With this clothes we are screaming “strangers”

Sighing the brunette gave them new attires, with a little smirk she looked at Emma who wearing a blue doublet and black breeches with black half-leg boots.

-          The perfect page, darling-

Emma looked at herself and huffed.

-          Very funny Regina. - She glanced at the red dress that the ex-mayor was wearing, it was less flamboyant that the ones she knew were common in the middle ages, so it must been one of Regina’s personal closet back at the Enchanted Forest.

-          I know dear, I know.- replied the brunette and Emma had to think twice before remembering her little pun-

\- Whatever- mumbled under her breath and started to walk, Regina following her after saving the ink and the book in a leather bag.


	3. The lost kid

They had appeared very near of the cottage so they didn’t need to walk for long, the impeccable appearance of the walls and the trimmed grass that surrounded the place screamed Regina. At least that was what Emma thought until she realized that the appearance of the cottage must have been something that Cora did. She looked at the blonde with the corner of her eye, the brunette was walking without looking at her surroundings, dark clouds forming in her eyes, the experience was being hard for Regina and Emma wondered if she could do something to help the older woman but she knew that it was useless, Regina wouldn’t admit that she was finding the idea of seeing Daniel and possibly her mother and herself, hard.

But something in the blonde’s mind clicked when they approached the backyard of the property, Regina seemed to falter and that was the sign that the blonde needed to speak her mind: Inhaling and folding her arms she stopped, looking at Regina’s back intently, after a moment the brunette realized that Emma wasn’t with her anymore and turned, the house raising behind her, it wasn’t a castle but, for a second, Emma could almost conjure the image of a castle and a Queen looking at her.

-          I think that I should go alone- stated firmly- We don’t know what are we going to meet but if I get caught is easy to lie and to tell that I’m a lost woman that was hungry, if you get caught it will be complicated to explain why you are so alike with.. Well, yourself. And if your mother caught us it will be even harder.

The brunette looked at Emma, feeling the surprise rising in her chest, nobody before had shown such empathy for her, not even Daniel, and she knew, because she knew Emma better than she ever would admit, that the excuse that Emma was saying, albeit true was hiding the need for the blonde to protect her.

-          Very well, Ms. Swan, I expect to see you in half an hour, tops. Look at everything that you can see without entering the house if it is possible and then tell me what have you saw, maybe with that I can determinate in what period of time we are.

The blonde nodded and started walking again, the brunette turned and hide herself with a magic spell, she casted the spell with caution, knowing that if she casted the enchantment with her normal power her mother probably could sense it but after a couple of seconds everything remained calm so she exhaled. She wondered if it had been the right thing to let Emma in without her, but the idea of seeing her mother disgusted her, not only because her mother per se but for the mixed feelings that that could bring, she wasn’t ready but she didn’t want to admit it. Apparently Emma had sense that and Regina wondered, not for the first time, if the savior and her were more alike than she had first had thought.

At the same time the blonde had finally entered in the property, the house was a couple of yards away so she moved carefully, already thinking in a proper lie if she got caught.  After watching everything she decided to enter in the house, she knew that Regina had told her not to do it but outside of the house weren’t any clues that she could use or tell Regina about. She was trying to relax before break in when somebody at her right talked.

-          Who are you? What are you doing here?

Cursing under her breath Emma turned, already with an apology in her lips and prying that Regina hadn’t been caught but when she looked at the owner of the voice she needed to blink twice.

-          I have asked you a question- ordered the possessor of the voice.

Emma opened her mouth before kneeling in front of the kid that was watching her while trying to appear threatening.

-          I’m a friend, I’m lost.

The kid lowered the stick that had been carrying until now.

-          I’m lost too. - admitted sadly.

-          I’m sorry to hear that- muttered the blonde- I’m Emma, what is your name?

-          Is Daniel ma’am

Emma smiled at the kid who couldn’t be older tan Henry, he was obviously scared but kept his chin high, trying to be intimidating. Still kneeling at him Emma tilted her head, she could recall a time in which she needed to be like Daniel, a child that needed to be strong even if she was scared.

-          Don’t worry Daniel, I’m your friend, I won’t tell anyone that you are living in this property.

-          I’m not living here- answered Daniel, her eyes looking at his covered feet, Emma realized that even the boy was dressed fairly well all his clothes were caked in the same mud that had covered her previous clothes.

-          You are living in the woods?

Daniel nodded.

-          I have been living there for a couple of moons now ma’am; I just came here time to time, trying to find something to eat when I can’t catch something.

Emma bit her lower lip and raised one hand, trying to touch Daniel’s forehead, it was instinctive, something that Regina had wrote in her mind a year ago, but the boy flinched.

-          Why are you scared? I told you, I’m lost too, I’m a friend.

-          You may be working for that woman- was the quiet response and Emma realized that Daniel must be referring to Cora.

-          No, I don’t work for her, but…- she faltered, she couldn’t carry the boy to her own campsite, the action could change the past so she simply shrugged.- Listen, kid, I won’t tell anyone about you but you must promise me that you are going to try to be careful, deal?

The dark haired kid was starting to nod again when a juvenile voice called the two of them.

-          What are you doing here? - come the question and Emma cursed again, knowing this time who was going to see when she turned.

A young Regina was looking at them with a brow raised; the girl wore riding pants and a vest so Emma assumed that the horses were kept in that part of the cottage.

-          I’m a friend- repeated while grabbing Daniel’s arm.

-          From who? - Regina approached them, she looked a year younger than Daniel but her eyes were full with regrets.

-          I’m a friend of yours- explained Emma gently, trying not to show her worries, if Regina shouted she could end imprisoned or worse knowing Cora- And he is Daniel, he is another friend.

-          Hello- grumbled the boy while looking at Regina’s feet; he was still scared and was obvious that he didn’t want to Regina to know it.

-          I have seen you a couple of times- answered Regina looking at Daniel with curiosity. Approaching both of them she looked at Emma and asked more sweetly- Is he your page?

Emma blinked, the young version of Regina was more volatile than the older version and for a moment she was at loss with the change of demeanor but shaking her head she tried to answer without saying anything relevant.

-          No, he isn’t.

Regina smiled at the other boy and gave a little bow to both of them.

-          I’m Regina.

-          I…- Emma stopped herself before admitting that she, in fact, knew who was the brunette in front of her- My name is Emma. Would you like to take care of Daniel Regina? He is lost.- The last words came out of her mouth before she acknowledge her existence in her brain and frowning she received a startled look from Daniel and a smile from Regina.

-          Maybe you could be the apprentice of our horse keep; he is old and would like help. What do you think?

SQ

Meanwhile Regina had tried to, without having success, open the old book. She had been right, the stories that the book told hadn’t occurred yet so maybe that was the reason behind the strange reaction of the book but she still tried to open it, worried that each second in that timeline was a second lost. But it was no use, the book refused to open and the ink glimmered teasingly.

With a huff she changed her spell and started again with the incantations when a strange pull in her heart made her stop; her heart was still in her chest but with each tremor and pull in the organ she started to feel something different, a memory that was fighting to become clearer, and when a fuzzy image of a blonde woman presenting Daniel to her she knew that something was in fact changing.

SQ

In Storybrooke two mans were trying to enter in the mayoral mansion, or, to be accurate, Hook was stomping his food in the wooden door and David was calling Emma at the top of his lungs.

-          Mate, is obvious that the brunette vixen won’t open the door, so I say that is time to open it.

David looked at Hook and shook his head with conviction.

-          I’m sure that the reason behind Emma and Regina aren’t answering is because they aren’t here; maybe they are talking in another place Hook.

-          Or maybe the bloody Queen is killing your precious daughter right now- screamed Hook- Emma had been with her almost three hours and she isn’t answering to that… cellphone. She is in danger David.

David sighed, even with her strong believes he couldn’t believe that Regina was trying to kill Emma anymore, the ex-Queen wasn’t evil, she had proved that time and again but the question was: Where were she? Biting his lips she looked at Hood and with his best regal voice he commanded:

-          We are going to ask around; maybe someone had seen Emma or Regina and can help us. But Hook, maybe Emma only needs time to herself.

-          If that would be the case she wouldn’t have go to the damned Evil Queen mate.

David turned around and started walking, a feeling in his chest that something was wrong and not only the attitude of Hook.


	4. The lost memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry for the delay, I wanted to write more of this story earlier but my studies had decided to tell me that it’s time to do them.  
> Anyway, here is the next chapter of Inked Future, and I want to write at least 2k per chapter so we will see how that ends…

Emma felt Regina’s eyes even before the brunette made herself visible with a puff of smoke, the queen was fuming, her hands in fists of pure rage and her eyes completely black with traces of purple.

-          What have you done Miss Swan? I only ask you to do one simple thing but, as it seems, even only one task is more complicated than your intellectual level.

Emma raised both of her hands before matching Regina’s posture.

-          What the hell are you talking about? I only went there.

-          And you changed my own past- exclaimed the Queen- I… Daniel and I…

-          Daniel and you what? The boy was lost, and you, well, mini you caught us, I did what was the easier way to not get caught.

Regina’s eyes flashed and the blonde feared for herself.

-          That is your problem, Miss Swan, you don’t think that your actions will change anything but the truth is that you were created to make changes, your simply existence made the world different and by trying to help Daniel, now I have a different set of sensations of what was our first meeting.

Emma was now looking at the leaves that covered the floor, she felt ashamed of herself. Deep down she knew that Regina was right but she didn’t know what had possessed her, she simply had needed to ask the little Regina to take care of Daniel.

-          I’m sorry ok? It just felt right to ask you that, and besides, they now will grow together, their, your story, haven’t changed.

-          For now, Miss Swan, so is better if we figure out how we can leave the past.

-          We could talk with Rumple…

-          No- interceded Regina raising one hand while marching to the clearing that had welcomed them an hour ago. - At this point of time he is probably still talking to my mother, if she ends knowing something about me or, worse, your powers…

The blonde huffed before sprawling near one big oak.

-          So what do you suggest? We could wait, at one point my parent’s or Hook will notice that we are gone.

-          Of course, your idiotic boyfriend will find us with the help of his loyal ship…- muttered the brunette while analyzing the ink.

The savior sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

-          I said that I was sorry about Marian, at least you could believe me.

-          I believe you dear, my problem is that you act like I owned you something and, truth to be told I don’t.- When she ended her statement Emma stood up and

-          Well, your Majesty is obvious that it doesn’t matter if I repeat it to you that I’m sorry, you will only see me like my parent’s daughter.

-          And am I wrong? - answered Regina, the ink now safely hidden.

-          Yes, because, like everyone else you will only see what you want, I’m not only a daughter. – At this point Emma was almost screaming and Regina moved closer to her, trying to muffle the screams.

-          Be careful Miss Swan because if we get caught I will have another thing that will prove that you are truly your father’s daughter.

The blonde looked at the brunette, her chest heaving with rage and her jaw clenched with fury.

-          I’m not only the daughter of Snow White and Charming Regina!

-          Well, I’m not only a villain dear. And I thought that you understood me!- when Regina ended her sentence everything fell silent, Emma didn’t know how to respond to the last statement and the brunette smiled a bittersweet smile before turning her back to Emma.

-          There is a lot that we still need to understand, for example if this ink could transport us to our real time so I suggest that we move elsewhere in where we won’t be a target to my mother.

Emma sighed but nodded.

-          It’s getting late, the best that we can do is to sleep here and tomorrow start our journey.

Regina nodded and with a flick of her wrist she changed her previous outfit to one closer to Emma’s.

-          I prefer the usefulness of something dear- answered to the look of the blonde and with that she sat down still trying to enchant the ink.

Emma closed her eyes for a full minute, she didn’t know how to process the last statement of Regina but deep down she felt that the brunette was right and the realization of that made everything worse. “I’m truly forgetting what, who, I am?” asked herself before licking her lower lip and opening her mouth:

-          I’m going to find some wood for the campfire, don’t move.

-          I wasn’t planning on going on a gymkhana Miss Swan- was the acid response and Emma nodded absentmindedly before move further into the woods. Soon she found that she needed a source of light so she successfully tried to create a fireball. And with that she kept walking feeling proud of her magical skills.

She didn’t need to walk for a long period of time before a timid light appeared in front of her; she frowned but started to walk in the same direction: “Maybe is Daniel” she thought already feeling the dread that, because of her implication in the history, Daniel and Regina couldn’t turn to be friend and lovers With a grimace she walked faster to the light who was now more vivid as she approached it. Finally the light and the person that was holding it came into her view.

-          Regina?- asked, when the girl that she had met not so long ago came into her view, the child turned and opened her eyes with fear when she saw the fireball floating near Emma’s hand.

-          You have magic? - asked the girl, paling.

-          Wha…? Oh- The blonde cursed herself for not seeing that coming but smiled, trying to move closer to the scared child- Yes, but I’m good ok? I won’t harm you.

The little girl tilted her head, not knowing if she could believe the stranger but she knew that she couldn’t scape fast enough for someone that had magic so she nodded.

-          Ok- continued Emma when she realized that the girl didn’t want to run away. - What are you doing here? Are you trying to find Daniel’s home?

Regina shook her head while fumbling with the edge of her dress, the torch, that was emitting the light that Emma had seen, moved dangerously for a second and Emma raised her hand trying to stop the movement before “young Regina” dropped the torch but the young brunette thought that Emma was trying to put a charm on her and she started to tremble, fearing for the punishment that she needed for being in the woods at dusk. When Emma understood the chain of thoughts of the brunette she smiled regretfully and knelt in front of the girl.

-          I’m not going to hurt you- whispered- I have magic but, to be truthful, I don’t know how to use it very well, and I don’t like to use it a lot, ok?

-          Ok- come the reply and Emma smiled.

-          So now, what are you doing here? Has something happen? Is Daniel ok?

-          No, yes- stammered the girl, her cheeks stained with tears- Daniel will live with us, he will work with the stable man but… Mother thinks that my attitude is not the correct one to a proper lady, she was angry with me and daddy didn’t say anything so I thought that maybe…

-          You could live in the place that Daniel had told you?- finished Emma while hating Cora a little more; she had known the woman’s daughter way after she had managed to broke  Regina but now, seeing the little girl that one day will be the woman that was currently mad at her, she felt the same rage that she felt when she was little and she saw how her foster brothers were mistreated.- Ok, listen, I know that your mother doesn’t treat you well but if you hid your dad will worry about you.- she felt like a sharp glass was slicing her body open but she needed to maintain Regina in the house, she needed to maintain the original story, even if she didn’t like it.- So how about you return home?

-          But Mother will be mad at me- replied the girl, scared.

-          No, she won’t, because if you are careful she won’t know that you left in the first place, and I’m sure that now you will have fun with Daniel, maybe he could taught you how to reach his place, but come only when is daylight ok? Now, in the dark, the woods can be dangerous.

-          But you are here- replied the kid while frowning and Emma fought back a little smile, the frown that was fearsome in the grown up face was adorable in her little counterpart.

-          But I know how to defend myself, so how about I come with you till the start of your parent’s cottage?

Regina seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding and Emma stretched out her hand hoping that the brunette would grab it, the girl smiled and started walking, her right hand in the left hand of the blonde and both of them started searching for the end of the woods and the start of the property.

SQ

It was much later when Emma finally come again to the clearing that was their currently refuge, Regina was there with a look of fear in her face, look that quickly disappeared when she saw that Emma was alone and safe.

-          I was starting to think that you had been eaten by a wolf. I expect you to be in perfect condition, because if you return injured your father will try, unsuccessfully of course, to put my head in a plate.- asked offhandedly while sitting again in the blankets that she had created earlier while Emma was playing “hide and seek”

The blonde shrugged but smiled a little, she knew that tone and she also knew that Regina had been worried about her but she let it go.

-          You will be fine, nothing happened but…- she sighed remembering the look of pure fear that the younger Regina had when she had said her goodbyes.- I think that we need to be here.

Regina looked at Emma and raised one brow.

-          Excuse me?

-          She needs us- answered Emma simply.

-          She is me.

-          Precisely, I don’t want to go without being at least sure that she is ok.

-          I won’t be ok- came the quick reply, the brunette emphasizing the “I”- And you know it Miss Swan, don’t try to change things that can’t be changed.

-          I won’t change your future, I simply want to know that you, her, is right. Besides, if you don’t want to go to Rumple to whom you want to go?- Emma lost her voice, the look of the child had awaken something in her that had been long forgotten and maybe now she wasn’t more than a daughter but she knew that in some point of her life she was just like Regina. She didn’t want to tell Regina all of this and she doubted that the older woman now had the new set of memories that she had created with the younger version of the former mayor but she needed to know that the young Regina was right and that she was starting to develop something with Daniel, he had been good for her the last time after all.

The brunette put her lips in a thin line but nodded curtly after a few seconds.

-          We will stay here one more day Emma, but no more.

The blonde nodded and sat in her own blanket, grateful that Regina had created one for her, it wasn’t only after a lot of tossing and turning that she realized that the brunette had called her by her name.

Meanwhile the older woman looked at the book and the ink and for a moment a plan started to develop in her mind, maybe she could do something after all…


	5. The ink, the quill and the parchment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry for the lateness, my studies are becoming a pain in the ass recently. Anyway, since yesterday’s episode I wanted (more than ever) to write so I hope that you enjoy it the next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

_Storybrooke_

It was three hours later than the pirate, David, Snow, Elsa and Henry came back to Regina’s house, Rumple himself was walking behind the group with a little smirk planted firmly on his lips.

An hour ago the Charming clan minus Emma, Hook and Elsa had come barreling her shop demanding explanations of why Emma had disappeared suddenly (and Regina too as Henry calmly remained) but the man didn’t have any information about that, in fact he didn’t know that the former queen and the savior have disappeared so all of them tried to explain at once what had happened.

Apparently, or that was what Rumplestiskin had finally understand, Emma had entered Regina’s house five to six hours ago trying to talk about them but hadn’t come out and no one near the vicinity of Regina’s house had seen her, or the queen for that matters, Emma wasn’t responding to her father’s and Hook’s calls via phone and the queen wasn't responding to the calls that her son had been making either.

So now they were going to try to enter Regina’s property in order to find Emma. The dark one smiled to himself one more time, he didn’t know what was happening but several hours earlier he had felt a punch of magic coming from Regina’s so he assumed that, at least, things were going to become interesting.

Glancing at Hook who was trying to break the door he shook his head disapprovingly before waving his hand and making the door disappear.

-          Let’s go- ordered David while looking pointedly at his wife- You stay here Snow, I want you to be safe.

-          I’m a grown woman –muttered the brunette- so don’t tell me what to do and let me in, I’m going to be perfectly fine.

Elsa simply looked at Rumplestiskin and sighed, she didn’t know what she was doing here with them but she felt that, maybe, if their daughter and… Whatever was Regina to them disappeared maybe they started trying harder to find her sister as well.

Finally they all entered in the house that looked perfectly fine, no scorching marks, no broken things and no residual magic floating in the air so the theory of a fight was discarded by Rumple and Henry as well by Hook who frowned.

-          Emma? - started the pirate but with no avail. Finally they entered Regina’s study that looked spotless as the rest of the house but, this time, Rumplestiskin noticed something.

-          They had been here- said to the rest of the group that was moving towards the upper floor of the house.

-          How do you know? - asked Snow, David and Hook at the same time, Henry and Elsa looking at the study with confused eyes, they didn’t see anything.

-          Because of the magic, I can sense both of their magics working together, mingling, so they must have been here, but I don’t know where they are in this moment.

-          So there isn’t something that you could track? - asked Henry at the same moment that Elsa exclaimed “You can feel traces of Magic?”

-          Indeed, dearie- answered the dark one looking at the Queen of Arendelle- But I cannot know where are they, you see, I’m not a dog. - The blonde sobered and looked at the floor ashamed.- And Henry, no, I don’t see anything that could led us to them but, as I see and the rest of you as well, there aren’t traces that had been abducted, it doesn’t look like a fight was held in the house so maybe they weren’t kidnaped.

-          I hope that you are telling the truth, crocodile- exclaimed Hook while looking with rage at the older man but Rumplestiskin only nodded and smiled.

-          You certainly can find that the truth is something that comes with practice, pirate.

-          Enough- started Snow- If Emma is not here, where is she?

-          And where is my mom? - Asked Henry looking at Snow- She isn’t here either.

-          We will find her- Said Elsa- When I first met you you told me that you were good finding people; we are going to find both of your moms and my sister.

The boy nodded but looked at his grandfathers that were looking less enthusiastic.

-          Yes mate, I will find Emma, don’t need to worry- intervened Hook clapping Henry’s shoulder, something that made the boy cringe- And Regina too, of course.

-          We will see that- muttered Rumple while looking at Regina’s desk intently.

SQ

_Hours later in the Enchanted Forest_

Emma woke up with a groan; certainly she hadn’t missed sleeping in the forest floor.

-          Morning Miss Swan, I’m happy that you aren’t in a coma, I was starting to fear that- said Regina’s voice with smugness.

-          Oh, cut the crap, my name is Emma and you know it and, besides, I haven’t overslept, the light is too dull for that- answered the blonde while looking at the brunette sitting next to a little fire, Emma could have sworn that the other woman had blushed. - Have you been trying to open the book the whole night? - asked while approaching the other woman who was still looking intently at the book.

-          Of course not, dear, but I have been thinking in a plan to fix this.

Emma hummed and took the book with curiosity.

-          How?

-          This ink is enchanted and it worked when it sensed magic, I didn’t have written much with it but my intentions were clear, try to change something to make myself and my past self less…

-          Evil? - Provided Emma and the brunette sighed in annoyance.

-          You could say that. As I was saying the ink noticed two strong magics and started working immediately so, maybe we can do the same thing backwards, thinking in the moment of time that we need to be.

-          But for that we wouldn’t need to open the book?- asked Emma looking at Regina intently, they were both very close so the blonde could see the reflection of the now weak fire in the eyes of the brunette who shifted a little, distancing herself of Emma.

-          The last time I used one of my old quill and a piece parchment, maybe it is another thing that adds up the reason why we are in the past.

-          So we need something of our present to write on it- realized Emma. - But we can’t open this book and is the only thing in which we could write so…

-          We need to travel until we find some event that can open the book- finished Regina firmly.

-          And how are going to do that? If I remember correctly the book told us Rumplestiskin story but you don’t want to meet him.

-          Miss Swan, we are going to ask for quill and we are going to travel in the future of this past until we find the moment in which Daniel… died.  It was after that that Snow came into the story so the book will open- the last sentence come through gritted teeth and Emma patted Regina’s hound for a second before realizing what she was doing.

-          I’m sorry- muttered as she moved away from the former Queen who looked as she hadn’t even acknowledge the blonde- I can be the one that is near you and Daniel.

That got Regina’s attention.

-          Why would you that? - asked looking intently at the younger woman who shrugged.

-          As I said I’m trying to fix what I did and I suppose that that memory is not one that you would want to see it again.

-          Very well then, Miss Swan, then you need to talk with my younger version and ask for a quill and parchment.

The blonde nodded and, returning the book to the other woman she stood.

-          When did you usually woke up back here? - asked while grabbing the blankets and folding them.

-          At this hour more or less- answered Regina, her back still turned facing the blonde- It was the only time in my day that my mother wasn’t there to scold me or to punish me- her voice trembled for a second before continuing- I used to go to see Daniel, now that he has appeared I suppose that I will be with him any minute, if you go to the cottage I think that you would see them near the stables.

Emma muttered a yes and started walking to the property but, after leaving the clearing she looked at Regina once more and smiled tiredly.

-          I’m going to prove you that you can trust me.

The brunette waited that the other woman had disappeared completely in the foliage before whispering “I still trust you”

SQ

The younger version of Regina was exactly when her older version had told the blonde, the two children already talking and laughing while Daniel did his chores diligently, the old stable man looking them from the distance with the same smile that Emma was sure she was wearing.

Daniel was pointing at a tree and explaining something to Regina, who giggled with the story, they were adorable and Emma felt again the glass cutting in throat when she thought about the destiny of those little kids.

Finally the man disappeared in the stables and Emma approached the children while waving her hand.

-          Hei- exclaimed loudly and Regina was the first of the two that turned, beaming when she saw who it was.

-          Emma! - yelled happily and the blonde grinned.

-          Yes, that’s me, I’m happy that you are ok- whispered to the little brunette who simply nodded.

-          My mother didn’t catch me.

-          I’m glad of that- answered the blonde before looking at Daniel- I’m happy that you now has a place to live kid.

Daniel shrugged and didn’t say anything but his smile was almost as big as Regina.

-          What are you doing here? - asked Regina at the same time that Daniel asked if the blonde was lost again. Something that made the woman laugh.

-          No, I’m good, I wanted to see both of you and, also, ask a little favor to Regina, if she wants it of course.

The girl frowned but nodded, she didn’t want to say no to the woman that had helped her.

-          I need a quill and some parchment.  Do you think that you could give me some?

-          You need them for an enchantment? - asked Daniel innocently and Emma looked at Regina who blushed.

-          I told him that you were a good witch. - The blonde smiled a little before feeling again the pang of regret, seeing Regina like this, carefree and young was something harder that she had first thought about it. It was like seeing herself with the same age, still believing that someone could be kind to her but the idea that someone could love her actually disappearing from her mind.

-          Yes, I need them for an enchantment but don’t worries, is not for something bad.

-          We don’t want you to be hurt because of the spell - exclaimed the brunette with sudden worry in her eyes and Emma shook her head.

-          It’s fine, is not something dangerous, I can assure you that.- assured Emma and, finally, both kids smiled.

-          My mother is in her study right now but this evening I will go there and grab some parchment and a quill. – whispered the girl and the blonde nodded.

-          Then I will see you at the evening, and take care of each other ok?

-          Ok! - was their response and Emma quickly went to the woods, hoping that the little delay didn’t upset Regina.

She thought about her parents and Henry and sighed, hoping that they were ok with the Snow Queen and Elsa, in an afterthought she wondered if Hook was ok but the question quickly disappeared from her mind.

 

**A/N A little side note, I have always wondered how much of the flashbacks were in the book so I'm assuming that Regina's story is present although with a lot of lapses.**


	6. The girl and the pirate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry for the delay guys, I have been with doctors this past days and I couldn’t write the entire chapter yesterday so I decided to wait and write everything before submitting half the chapter.

_-          My mother is in her study right now but this evening I will go there and grab some parchment and a quill. – whispered the girl and the blonde nodded._

_-          Then I will see you at the evening, and take care of each other ok?_

_-          Ok! - was their response and Emma quickly went to the woods, hoping that the little delay didn’t upset Regina_

_Enchanted forest- Evening_

Emma sighed and looked at her side in which Regina was standing looking intently at her former home, when Emma had explained the whole situation to Regina the brunette had put her lips in a tight line and had refused to talk to her but, when Emma had started preparing to met with the younger version of the other woman, Regina had come along with her without making any sound.

-          Why are you here?- asked Emma for the thousand time- If she… well, if little you sees you she isn’t going to flip or something. You can change your own future!- said trying to have a reaction for the brunette who was now toying with the fabric of her clothes.

The sun was about to hide and the big and large shadows made everything look eerie and enchanted, Emma looked at the distant cottage again with a lump in her throat, she didn’t have to have asked the little Regina to steal from her mother, if the woman found out the girl was going to be punished and the blonde couldn’t stand the thought of that.

-          Maybe is better if I go near the house- whispered to Regina who emitted a long and exasperated sigh.

-          Miss Swan, I would be glad if you doesn’t speak anymore and simply wait with me until I gave you the parchment. - came Regina’s voice through gritted teeth.

-          The majesty speaks now?- asked the blonde while feeling a pang of hurt in her heart, seeing the woman and seeing the girl that this woman once were was painful because she could see herself in the little girl and each time that he thought about the little girl she could also see herself in the grown woman.- Why are you here?- asked finally, her causticity now gone.

-          I simply want to be sure that everything goes smoothly Miss Swan. – Said the brunette while sharpening her features, hiding something that the blonde couldn’t pinpoint in that moment. - And also because there is something that I want to listen.- whispered softly the older woman.

Emma was about to ask what was Regina talking about when the voice of the younger version of the woman could be heard and the older version became invisible.

The blonde smiled to the girl although she wondered what the other woman had tried to say with that last statement and kneeled before the little brunette who had parchment and a quill firmly tucked in her hands.

-          Emma- said the brunette again- Where are you?- her voice started to have an edge of anxiety so the blonde exited the shelter of the woods and approached the girl with the smile firmly planted in her lips.

-          I’m here, did you have problems? - asked eyeing cautiously the body of the girl, hoping that Cora hadn’t hurt here in any way.

But Regina shook her head before handing her adult companion the objects.

-          No, Mother didn’t see me. What are you going to do with this? - asked finally the girl and Emma bit her lip once before sighing.

-          You see, Regina, this things are going to help me, ok? - The brunette nodded once and Emma could feel the eyes of the other brunette in the back of her skull. - I am not from here- started the blonde again and little Regina nodded again and smiled a little- Yes, I know that you knew it- answered Emma chuckling- The thing is that with these things I will be able to return home.

-          So you are going to go? - The voice of the girl broke at the end and Emma needed a moment before answering with a smile nod. - You… are you going to come back?

Emma looked at the girl and saw the grief, the sadness of that voice reflected at her with those big brown eyes and, without thinking, she touched the girl once in the cheek and smiled to her.

-          I don’t know, maybe I will be here before you start missing me, or maybe I am visiting you in a couple of years or maybe… we won’t see each other’s again. But… I promise that even if it takes years I will try to make you smile again ok? And you need to be strong. You can promise me that?

The girl nodded and sniffled before looking at Emma’s green eyes with conviction.

-          I will learn to ride so then I will be able to go to see you. - said with fire in her eyes and Emma smiled at that.

-          I’m sure you are going to be an awesome rider.

Regina then nodded once again and turned, waving one more time at the blonde before returning to the cottage. Not a moment later the older Regina emerged from the forest and looked pensively to the disappearing girl.

-          You knew that this was going to happen- Muttered Emma eyeing carefully to the brunette who simply kept looking at her younger self. - This was what you wanted to hear again? Why? How could you know what was going to happen?

-          I suppose that once my younger self decided to come here my past changed somehow and, therefore I already knew what was going to happen Miss Swan, let’s go, we still need to figure out how to work with Merlin’s ink.

-          You still haven’t say to me why you wanted to listen to that conversation- insisted the blonde but Regina walked away and Emma ended going after her.

SQ

_Storybrooke_

Rumplestisking opened the Regina’s door that he had created once again when they had left the house and went to the study, which was now empty.

He hadn’t told the Charmings what he saw but there had been something between the papers that had caught his attention; a piece of parchment and a quill with dry ink in the tip. The objects weren’t strange but the magic that they emitted was something truly rare, and different because the “odor” of that magic wasn’t something that Regina could create and neither could Emma, it was something entirely different, something that he had seen before…

In the abandoned house.

Smirking he grabbed the objects and look at them, the magic was strong but dulled and he nodded to himself before cackling, Regina had used Merlin’s magic something that could have good results or bad results due to the volatile magic of the trapped magician.

He was starting to turn when something cold touched his neck.

-          Not so fast mate- came the voice laced with rum of Hook’s- What are you doing here?

-          I could ask you the same question, dearie- answered Rumplestiskin, her voice laced with disgust.

-          I’m here because I didn’t trust you, what have you take crocodile?

-          A way to found Emma- spitted the dark one while forming a new plan, he didn’t want to destroy Regina, not anymore, but he wanted to meddle something with the brunette’s life and he was sure that the ink was something that he could use.

-          Explain yourself- Demanded the pirate and the older man feigned irritation before answering.

-          The ink that is in this parchment is powerful, it is from a strong magician that maybe you had heard about: Merlin.- Hook nodded- I have the feeling that our beloved queen had used this to change something and since Merlin’s magic is erratic because of his imprisonment the spell backfired and captured Emma and Regina in it.

-          And how can I help Emma? - asked the pirate and Rumplestiskin smirked once more.

-          If you give me something that it is Emma’s I can make a spell that can help you find her.

Hook only nodded before exiting the former Queen mansion and Rumple shook her head while smiling, he was going to have fun with this.

SQ

_Enchanted forest_

Regina was muttering something under her breath while Emma paced feeling useless like every time that something magical appeared in her life. “Which happens a lot considering everything” thought before sighing dramatically.

-          Careful dear, I don’t wish to explain your parents that you couldn’t stand two nights away from their cozy home- Came the sour voice of Regina and the blonde looked at her with every ounce of exasperation resonating in her brain.

-          I will stop sighing when you stop and admit that you wanted to hear me being your friend- was the quick reply and Regina focused again in the enchantment for a couple of minutes before closing her eyes in frustration.- What is now?- asked Emma pointing at the ink that glowed a little.

-          Is just that I can’t write an exact time, the ink refuses it, every time that I try to write the exact moment the ink disappears from the parchment.

-          Maybe it wants to do this in a different way- said Emma approaching the brunette and the ink carefully.

-          And what do you propose Miss Swan?

-          Write something that is closer in time, maybe the ink has discharged and needs sometime to be powerful enough.

Regina eyed the blonde before turning her back at hear and started pacing herself, something that Emma had said was true: Merlin’s magic was erratic and playful, it was the result of many years being imprisoned without a way of escaping. Maybe that was the game that the ink wanted to play, if they traveled through time a few years each time the ink could permit it and when they reached a moment in which the book opened they could re-write in it and then they would return to Storybrooke. It meant that Regna would have to bear the blonde’s presence a little more but if she needed to be truthful with herself that wasn’t as worse as she keep telling said blonde.

-          We will do your idiotic idea Miss Swan, finally some of your brain has start to function.

The blonde made a face but kneeled next to Regina with a little smile playing in her lips, the blankets that Regina had conjured firmly grabbed in her hands.

-          Whenever you are ready- said before half-closing her eyes and Regina, sighing, turned to the blonde and, without acknowledging her she finally muttered something:

-          Thank you for the words that you told me when I was little.

Emma nodded and as Regina started writing she said one final sentence:

-          I told you, I am not only the daughter of my parents.

Then, they were gone.

 

**A/N I know that for the time being Hook is being… well, Hook, but I believe that love and admiration are two different things and although Emma can (and certainly does) admires Regina she still doesn’t love her, not in a way that she can see it or realize it. I’m not a fan of Hook, believe me, I find hard to stomach his presence sometimes but I want to be truthful with the position in which the characters are right now on the show so we will have to bear with Hook a little more. But, don’t worry, this story is a SwanQueen one, is only that I love the slow burn (If you don’t believe me go and read P.S; You are worthy…)(End of advertising) xD**


	7. The time and the kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the new chapter! X

_Storybrooke_

Hook smiled again at Snow who frowned, she knew about the problems that her daughter and the pirate were having and although she was happy that Emma had someone in her life sometimes she doubted that Hook was the correct one for her. And from the look that David was shooting at Hook he likely thought the same.

-          So you are telling us that you need one of Emma’s jackets to find her? - asked the brunette while rubbing soothingly Neal’s back: The little boy seemed to cry every time that Hook was in the room, something that Snow had noticed.

Hook nodded before trying to appear concerned, a part of him wanted to show to that people that he was the only one for Emma but the other part of him was furious: Emma had gone to talk to the Queen after she had told him that she couldn’t talk to him and he wanted answers of why.

-          Apparently the crocodile has found some kind of track spell that can help us but we need something of Emma’s.

-          And Regina? – asked David crossing his arms. He didn’t trust Rumple and the idea of him and Hook teaming up didn’t excite him.

-          I suppose it could work, mate- answered Hook, looking at him with sarcasm- But I don’t want to enter that house again, the Queen may have spells and curses for all over the place as far as we know, besides, I want to rescue Emma.

-          You told me that you were going to rescue both of my mothers- chimed in Henry.

He had been sitting in the couch after trying to find his book and, before Hook’s visit, he had been writing something in one notebook.

Hook looked at the boy trying to look offended.

-          Of course I told you that and I will give you your mother but I want to find Emma first. We don’t know if they are still together.

The three of them, plus Elsa who had been looking the entire exchange from the kitchen looked at each other without knowing what to do; Hook answers seemed plausible, although Henry didn’t like one bit how Hook keep behaving like Regina wasn’t important to him.

Elsa shrugged and arched one brow at Hook, she didn’t like the pirate but she felt that she had nothing to do with the new situation so she waited for Snow and David who nodded at each other before looking again at Hook.

-          We will give you one of Emma’s jackets- started David.

-          But with the condition that as soon as you know where is Emma and Regina and you can return you will tell us everything.

-          And you will need to try to found both- said Henry giving Hook a stink eye.

With that the pirate was gone with one of Emma’s jackets and a smug smile planted on his lips.

-          I know that I have been here for a couple of days now- started Elsa- But if… he is having deals with the Dark One shouldn’t we be worried?

-          We are worried- stated David- But we know that Rumplestiskin won’t hurt Emma or Regina if he can’t have something in return, plus Emma had a relationship with his son.

-          So we think that he doesn’t want to harm her, although he loves to play games.- Ended Snow.

-          Maybe is better if we go to talk to him after all- Said Henry while closing her notebook.

-          We will do that but… what were you writing? - asked Snow as she kissed Neal little nose: the baby had fallen asleep as soon as Hook had exited.

-          All the stories that may have something with my moms’ disappearance- answered the boy calmly. - And I want to be with my other grandfather before he sends Hook to wherever my mothers are.

David nodded and smiled apologetically at his wife who shook her head.

-          Henry is right, we need to be more proactive with all of this, go with him. I will call Ruby in case she had smelled something in the forest or if the merry men had told her something that we could use.

-          Also we need to be prepared with the Snow Queen- chimed in Elsa and Snow nodded quickly.

-          We will take care of that while you both are with Gold.

-          Alright then. - Said David and went after Henry who had exited the house as soon as he had put his shoes on.

Meanwhile Hook was knocking the door of Rumplestiskin shop with the same smug expression that a couple of minutes ago.

-          Finally, crocodile- He said when the older man opened the door. - I have a jacket, what will happen next?

-          First of all I must warn you that this track spell has one downside- Started the dark one smiling as smugly at the pirate who frowned.

-          And since where you are worried for my safety?

-          Since never but I want to tell you because when all the Charmings come here, and they will, I want to have the correct alibi- was the caustic answer.

-          Ok, so, what is the downside?

-          You will travel in the same order as them, so if they have moved by the time you arrive at wherever they are you will need to wait to travel again to that new place.

-          And how much I will need to wait?

-          The same amount of time that they had spent in the previous place. - said Gold as Henry and David entered the shop.

-          What was the last part? - asked David looking at Rumplestiskin who raised the corner of his mouth before answering.

-          I was saying to the pirate the rules of this, he is going to be with Emma but if the Savior and the former Queen had moved in space or time before Hook reaches them he will have to be in the place the same amount of time that they were.

-          And why do you think that they will be in another space or time? - Asked Henry who didn’t like the smile of his grandfather.

-          Because the magic that they are using is extremely powerful but not very good.

-          Give me the spell old man- Said Hook impatiently waving his Hook and both David and Henry looked at him wearily.

-          Well, then. - Exclaimed Gold and for a moment everyone in the room saw the real dark one behind the old man and shivered.

Two incantations later the leather jacket glowed and hummed like it was charged with electricity and, after a pointed look of David, Hook touched the object carefully. A strange sound filled the air, and, suddenly, the pirate wasn’t there.

SQ

_Enchanted Forest_

Emma huffed in protest; they were caked in mud, _again._

-          Where are we? - asked eyeing Regina who pursed her lips eyeing the new territory.

They were near the cottage again but this time it looked like they were nearer the house and in the other side of the property as this time the stables could be seen as well as the little and old pavilion in where Regina had took her lessons until she turned sixteen.

-          In the same place than before, Miss Swan- said distantly while watching intently at two figures that were moving away from the stables; one of them looking slightly taller than the other.

-          In the same year? - tried to know Emma as she approached the brunette who shook her head.

-          If this worked we are currently a couple of years in the future.

-          So you are going to be… fourteen?

Regina nodded this time.

-          This was the first time that I kissed Daniel- muttered, almost like she didn’t want Emma to know but the blonde heard it and put her hand in the right arm of the brunette.

-          I’m sorry for what happened- said the blonde softly and Regina glanced at her from the corner of her eye before clearing her throat.

-          They… We are going to come here because…- Then she frowned and paused for a moment before starting again- They are going to be here in any minute now, after they are gone we are going to travel again. Hide yourself Miss Swan.

And with that the brunette disappeared in a cloud of smoke that had Emma blinking for a few moments.

Moments that became crucial as Regina and Daniel arrived at the place with her hands interlaced.

-          Emma? - asked both of them looking at her like she was a ghost.

The blonde smiled faintly before nodding.

-          Hello.- Said before having the air of her lungs knocked out by Regina who hugged her like she was going to disappear again.

-          You are here! We thought that you have forgotten how to come back.

The blonde chuckled and patted the young girl’s back while smiling at Daniel.

-          You both have grown this past years- said casually and Regina blushed separating from Emma.

-          Thanks- she said biting her lips and Emma caressed her hair before talking to Daniel- Everything ok?

The boy nodded awkwardly and Emma hummed to herself before looking at the two of them.

-          I don’t want to interrupt, I will go now- Said, the words bittersweet in her mouth, she knew that it was the correct thing to do but she didn’t like the feeling that she was giving up in Regina. They couldn’t change the past but after seeing the girl it was becoming harder and harder to not feel empathy towards the brunette. Brunette that was going to kill her if she didn’t disappear.

-          Will you be here later? - asked the young version of Regina as Daniel nodded with the same question in his eyes. He was taller and looked slightly older than the girl, maybe fifteen, approaching sixteen soon and, although Emma knew that Daniel was a good boy she felt slightly uneasy knowing that Regina was going to kiss with and older boy.

-          I will try- Said finally and Regina beamed at that.

With that she went into the forest and waited.

She didn’t have to wait much as a wave of something that smelled like fruit and flowers hit her: Regina.

The older woman had appeared herself three meters away from her but her eyes could have burned that distance with flames.

-          What were you thinking?

-          It was you that disappeared and left me behind- shushed Emma looking as flustered as Regina. - I didn’t know what to do, excuse me for that, Madam Mayor.

Regina snarled but sighed.

-          I suppose that this time is my fault- admitted begrudgingly and Emma smiled at that- But don’t get use to this.

-          It’s a start- muttered the blonde with a beaming smile- So, what are we going to do?

-          We are going to wait and then you are going to say goodbye to myself.

-          Why? - asked Emma eyeing the older woman who looked like she was blushing a little.

-          Because she wants to see you and…

-          You want to give her that- Finished Emma before nodding. - I will do it but with one condition.

-          And what condition is that?

-          That you admit that you don’t want to kill me anymore.

Regina rolled her eyes but sighed.

-          Fine then Miss Swan.

Emma winked at the other woman and waited patiently.

SQ

_Enchanted Forest- Two years earlier_

Hook had looked at everything in disbelief the first second that he had landed in the Enchanted Forest, he didn’t knew where he was but he knew that this wasn’t Storybrooke. It had taken him a full minute to discover the cottage but after seeing the emblem , that was in full display at the front of the house, he had guessed where and when he was since he had saw that emblem a couple of times before

-          Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone after all- Muttered before presenting himself at the guards of the house. - I want to talk with Cora Mills, say to her that I’m the Captain Killian “Hook” Jones and I have some information that she may want to know.


	8. The traitor and the advantage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello! Sorry for the wait, I lost all my notes about the story and I had to rewrite this chapter three times before getting back to where I wanted.  
> Also I want to tell you that I thinking in an AU but that will need to wait. For now.  
> From now on we will have two Enchanted Forest, one in which Hook’s is in and the other one with Emma and Regina: Hook is two years earlier than the actual moment of where the ladies are so I am going to mark that counting Regina’s years giving than in the first section of the fic Regina was close to 12 and in the moment that Regina and Emma are she is 14. Remember also that Hook will be the same amount of time that the ladies were in that time so, for now, two days for the first period. If anyone is lost feel free to ask me.

. _\- I want to talk with Cora Mills, say to her that I’m the Captain Killian “Hook” Jones and I have some information that she may want to know._

_Enchanted forest (Regina being 12)_

Cora Mills looked at the pirate with severity, she had heard about Killian “Hook” Jones but the sea was too far away from that land so she was suspicious about why such a man wanted to talk to her; the tall man looking at her with a little smirk that make her rise a brow, the pirate show no fear, it was almost like he was laughing at her, something that she didn’t like it one bit.

-          Pirate- started with a soft voice that didn’t match her pose- You told my guards that you wanted to see me, you have been cuffed because of security so you may speak now before I decide that you are not worthy my time.

Hook smiled before nodding, he knew that he couldn’t play with Cora but knowing the future was an advantage that he was going to use. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that if he ever wanted to make Emma see that he was her only and best option he needed to become better than he was and since he would never achieve the prize that was the savior giving normal circumstances he needed to save her from something, and Cora filled that void, and if he could convince the woman that she needed to kill or imprisoned her own daughter he would win one over Regina. He hated how that woman didn’t trust him.

-          I am from a future so far away that if I ever tell you all the truth you would never believe me- started the man with conviction- In that future you are death milady and I am here to prevent you.

-          How do you dare to speak to me like that? - asked Cora rising her chin piercing the pirate with her gaze.

The dark haired man licked his lower lip before continuing, lowering his eyelids while speaking, trying to became more truthful to the eyes of the woman.

-          It is true, milady, in that future you are death, death by hands of one powerful brunette who had traveled to this time searching for something. I’m here to stop her.

Cora rose from her chair and walked to the pirate who kept her head low and her attempt of half reverence in place, the woman tilted her head: she didn’t trust that man but if the tale that the pirate was telling was even remotely true she needed to be prepared.

-          And how it is that a pirate like you is trying to stop a murderer like that woman? - asked, her voice laced with cold and hard cruelty.- What are you hiding, pirate?

Hook only smiled briefly before looking at Cora directly.

-          She has something that is mine with hers, another young woman, a blonde, she goes by the name of Emma, the brunette took her and I want her back.

Cora nodded once before turning her back to the man, still thinking in all the multiple possibilities that she could face believing that pirate. If what that man was saying was true the brunette which was powerful, maybe even useful for her plans, if she changed her present changing the brunette’s witch’s past then she could survive to her magic an become what she deserved, a queen.

-          Where are they? - asked looking back to Hook who hid a smirk before answering, Cora had swallowed the bait.

-          I don’t know, milady, they can be anywhere. But I am tracking them with a spell, whenever they move through time and space I will go after them so I will catch them and I only want your help if they keep being next to you. You can have this woman but I ask for the blonde.

Cora nodded once before smiling coldly.

-          It’s a deal then but, pirate- added making a sign to her guards who approached them. - I will be watching you.

Hook nodded again and approached the big wooden doors that separated them for the rest of the house.

-          How is the name of the brunette? - Asked Cora already not looking at Hook and that was when Hook decided to make his last move.

-          She goes by the name of Regina, milady.

_Enchanted Forest (Regina being 14)_

Emma was feeding the fire when the brunette appeared finally, her face a rictus that the blonde couldn’t identify.

-          Are you ok? - asked softly and the older woman merely nodded before sitting graciously before her.

The young version of Regina had searched for them and Emma had went with the teen version of the older woman wanting to know how Regina was coping with her mother, she was devastated because of the things that the girl told her but also glad because, apparently, Daniel and her was starting to fall for each other, and that was a great sign, albeit bittersweet. When she had returned to the spot in which she had left Regina the older woman wasn’t there.

At first she had freaked out but then she had founded the book, still firmly closed, and the rest of items so it looked like Regina needed some time alone.

And now, that she had managed to lit the fire and everything almost knew what was bothering Regina.

-          Do you want to talk? - asked softly, her eyes still fixed in the fire and she could almost sense how Regina stiffed before relaxing a little.

-          Why would I want that Miss Swan? - Finally asked the other woman and Emma shrugged.

-          Maybe because you need it. - Answered and Regina closed her eyes while pursing her lips.

She needed to talk, but she wasn’t use to it, no one had wanted to talk to her, to know her, and Emma was still a riddle that sometimes she couldn’t understand.

-          It’s Daniel? - asked Emma finally, her eyes never leaving the fire and Regina found herself nodding instead of denying it.

-          I loved… I love him and seeing him, so young, so full of life…

Emma nodded but kept looking at the fire.

-          I will be more careful the next time- muttered softly and Regina found herself shaking her head.

-          You didn’t do anything wrong.

Both women didn’t say anything, the night engulfing them like a cloak. Unknown to them the book glowed softly inside the pouch that Regina had created.

 

 


	9. The book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry for the hiatus, but after the last episode events I wasn’t sure if I could keep up with the original plotline of Inked Future, I’m still not sure but I don’t want to end this story only because the writers of the show are being douchebags so… well, I will try albeit I have done a couple of changes in the plot because now I barely can stand Hood. Thanks for every kudo, comment and bookmark

_Enchanted forest (Regina being 14)_

Regina woke up with Emma’s voice calling her, frowning she opened her eyes and tried to place from where the blonde was calling her, after a few frustrating moments Emma appeared at her right from her behind.

"I went to try to find something to eat" Explained as she handed a few red berries " You were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you."

Regina took the berries and nodded silently before starting to eat them, making a sour face because of the fool taste.

" Are you sure that you are not trying to poison me? " Asked as she looked at the ashes of the now extinct fire of their campfire and Emma chuckled a little of that.

" Not today, your majesty."

Even to both of them the banter seemed foolish and the blonde looked at Regina from the corner of her eyes before trying to speak again.

"  I know that yesterday I shouldn’t have asked you about Daniel, I’m sorry for that."

"As I said" Cut her Regina before the other woman could try to talk more about it "You didn’t do anything wrong."

The younger woman exhaled and stood up handing to the brunette the quill and parchment as well as the book and, with a soft voice she muttered the next sentence, trying not to think of what they were going to do leaving Regina again.

" Let’s go to the next step, we can’t be too far to found a moment in which the book opens, can we? " Her voice was strained and the brunette picked up the look on her face even before Emma could mask her emotions.

" You don’t like what we are doing" Stated and Emma huffed, both of them knew that that was and understatement.

"I don’t like the idea that we are leaving her."

"You keep saying this but that girl is me, Miss Swan" Answered Regina looking at Emma with fury and Emma straightened her back, trying to find a way to explain what as she feeling.

" She is going to feel abandoned by me" Started "I felt abandoned once, I know what she is feeling, I know how you felt when you are a child and I don’t like the idea that we are doing this while seeing you, her, becoming…" Her voice faltered but Regina didn’t need to hear more, she knew what was going to come next and she opened her mouth, her voice deeper than she had intended but harsh and cold.

"A monster, that’s what I will always be, even for you who keep saying that you want to apologize I will be a monster."

"I was going to say lonely, Regina, I don’t see you like a monster and you should know by now!"

Both of them looked at each other until Regina closed her eyes and turned, wondering for a moment if she could go like that, leaving Emma behind. But she knew that she couldn’t so, instead, she said what had had been eating her alive for the past months.

"You have what, in every other child book could be written as an evil past, Miss Swan, but yet here you are, with your family, with your friends, with your son. And I am here, lonely, being perceived as a woman that can’t change her nature. I’m tired of fighting, Emma, I’m tired of being always the one that is left alone only because of her past."

The blonde didn’t say anything and simply approached the older woman, wondering if she could touch the brunette’s arm, trying to give her some kind of comfort but, deep down, she knew that Regina didn’t want that in that moment.

" I’m tired of being always the villain, that’s why I wanted to change the book, not to make other’s miserable but to achieve what I can’t achieve only because someone decided that it was my fate to be “evil”."

The rant ended when the brunette’s voice broke and both women stood in the middle of the forest with the book between them.

" I never saw you as evil" Stated Emma softly making the other woman chuckle disbelievingly. "It’s true, when my parents told me what you did I only could think that you weren’t the same as The Evil Queen, you were, you are, Regina and you have been a wonderful mother for the past ten years and some."

" That’s rather impressive for you to say, Miss Swan, but that doesn’t affect what I am, does it? " Asked bitterly Regina and Emma sighed as she glanced at the leaves that were covering the floor of the forest.

"I only know one thing, Regina, when you are little you tend to think that everything is black or white but as you get older you start to see that the villains of your tales weren’t so evil in the first place, maybe you can be perceived as something that you are not, not anymore at least."

They didn’t say anything after that and when Regina wrote another line in the parchment it was Emma who took the hand of the brunette between hers and gave a little squeeze.


	10. The traveler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hello, first of all sorry for the weekly update, I would have loved to write more but I have a lot to do and a lot to study and It’s easier for me to write Inked Future and post it weekly than every two or three days, I hope that once I am in winter vacation I will be able to write and update more frequently.  
> And for the guest who asked me who I can’t stand, both Hood and Hook are insufferable but after what they did with the whole “let’s have sex with my wife’s heart a few meters away from us” now I have problems not wanting to murder Hood, which changed what I wanted to do at the end of this story and that’s the reason behind I needed to reconsiderate the plot.  
> Anyway, on with the chapter!

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 12)_

Cora eyed the room that the Capitan Hook had passed the night, at first hours in the mornings the servant that she had made to stay at the door of the place had heard a strange sound and, when he had entered the room it had been empty.

She could smell the scent of magic in the air and she had the feeling that the tartar odor was from Rumplestiskin but she didn’t think that the Dark One would have wanted to try to mess up with her without a reason. And she knew that there wasn’t a reason for that. Not yet at least.

Apparently the pirate had slept in the bed, as the rumpled sheets testified, but apart from the scent of magic and rum the place was like no one had ever been there.

Cora was an intelligent woman and she had always confided in her own mind so with a nod she ordered to keep that place closed as she turned, thinking of what piece she needed to move next.

As far as she knew the pirate could be in another part of the timeline, maybe even in a future time with herself. She knew that that was near impossible but if that what the pirate had told her was true and the woman with the blonde was Regina maybe she would be able to take a look of both the blonde and her daughter at the same time.

She was no naïve, she knew perfectly well that Hook knew who Regina was and he had said that name to her to throw her off balance. But Cora Mills was better than that.

And if she wanted to grab her daughter and prevent her in any way to murder her maybe she could make her be what she had always wanted her daughter to be, a Queen.

Seating in what had been her husband’s study until she had decided to take charge she smiled as her mind started to plot what she could do to her daughter to make her more malleable and, therefore, useful in that possible future.

* * *

 

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 14)_

Hook opened his eyes and frowned looking at the room that he now was in; the place looked the same than the night before but looked a lot dustier and dark than he remembered.

Humming to himself he drank from his flask and opened the door.

He didn’t have time to say anything in his defense when one servant put a knife under his nose.

“You are going to go to see Madam Mills” Said the man fiercely and Hook nodded, his mind already toying with the idea that he could be in the future of that particular past.

“That means that they have moved” Thought before being pushed towards another corridor.

* * *

 

( _Storybrooke)_

Henry sighed as he tried to find his book once again, his mothers remained lost and the Ice Queen seemed to have accumulated a lot of power.

“Henry, where are you?” Asked a voice at his back and he turned, fighting back his tears.

“In here, gramps” Called and David entered in Regina’s study smiling at his grandson.

“Come here, it’s getting late and I don’t want to be outside if the Ice Queen came back again”

“But I haven’t find the book or any clues” Answered the boy and the older man looked at him with soft eyes.

“When Emma and Snow went missing I told you that I was going to do everything in my hands to bring them back and now we are waiting for Hook ok? We will bring them back”

“You are not doing the same” Stated the boy, his eyes colder than David had ever seen them. “When ma and grandma went to the enchanted forest you really did everything that you could but now you are relying on Hook to bring my mothers back”

“You don’t trust Hook?” Asked David carefully, a part of him knew that Henry was right, he had been distant with Emma and he felt guilty about it. And even if Regina was a person that he didn’t understand he knew that his grandson needed her.

“Is not than I don’t trust him, but I have this feeling about him that I don’t like it” Muttered Henry under his breath and David patted his right arm seeing for the first time how much he had changed in a year.

“After we form a plan to stop the Ice Queen I’m going to help you, we can go and talk with Rumplestiskin if you want”

Henry sighed once again but went to the front door with David, he still didn’t know about both of his mothers or Hook but every time he thought about the pirate he felt like something wasn’t right.

* * *

 

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 16)_

This time Emma managed to keep on her feet when the hole expelled them.

“Well, now when we are?” Asked looking at Regina who looked nauseous as she eyed the distant cottage.

“A few days before I saved your mother, Daniel told me that he loved me or the first time” whispered the older woman as she caressed her neck, as if wishing something was there.

“Why we didn’t go there then?” Asked Emma and she felt the other woman’s sudden anger.

“Because I don’t want to write that particular moment in a parchment, Miss Swan” Replied Regina coldly and Emma knew that she had lost the little trust that she had managed to achieve.


	11. The play and the acceptance

**A/N Well, this is going to be a veeeery long author’s note. As I posted in tumblr I needed to put on hiatus everything for a little while and after thinking a lot about everything I decided something: I love to write, really, I’m studying translation and interpretation with the hope of writing my own book one day. I have lots of ideas scribbled around and I don’t think that I could pass a day without writing. But I have another thing, I hate feeling labeled or pressured, is something that I need to work but, all in all, when I’m feeling pressured I’m sloppy and I don’t care as much as when I write because it’s fun and it fills me. I know also how reassuring is when we have chapters of fics that we love updated every day or every two or three days. But I have though a lot about it and I know that my writing these past weeks haven’t been at my best. And many of you have said that to me. Anyway, what I want to say in this note it’s the following, in order to write chapters good enough for you and for me I’m going to write them and update them slower and not so regularly. I have tried to keep up but I want to give and to write something good not to feel that I’m producing instead of creating so…there it is. (If you are still reading this thank you, and really, keep commenting and reviewing or reblogging or whatever happens to be the correct choice for you because whenever I know someone’s opinion I feel happy and I take notes of every single one of you. ) So there, now, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think of it.**

 

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 16)_

The night was slowly turning into morning, the darkness that surrounded them disappearing gradually as the first lights started to appear. They had been waiting for half an hour now and Regina still hadn’t addressed her in any way, her eyes fixed in the cottage that was barely visible in the middle of the meadow.

Emma sighed and touched the clothes in which she had been for many nights now, feeling already remorse of how she had asked Regina about Daniel. She knew that the stable boy was something very difficult to the other woman to talk, she have should know better but, instead, she had screwed things up.

She looked at her right, where the brunette was eyeing the structure as if wanting to set it in flames and she wondered how could have been for Regina to grew up there, as a noble. She had read enough books to understand the implications of the older woman being a noble, the idea of possession rather than a living a breathing person that Regina had lived with almost her entire life. And it was also strange to try to put Regina in that kind of environment, to try to picture a young Regina being taught to be a lady, being taught how to bow or bend her head. Regina was far too elegant for being a woman forced to do that but also, because of that strength, Emma couldn’t fathom another time or place for Regina.

She was still looking at Regina when the other woman shivered noticeably as her eyes glowed with purple magic.

“What it is?” Asked, it had been a couple of times that Regina had done that and she didn’t like how the normally composed woman paled every time that it happened.

“Nothing Miss Swan” Said the other woman bitterly and Emma bit her lower lip.

“I just… I want to apologize” Said finally and Regina scowled.

“Apologize?”  Asked and Emma could already hear the rest of the comeback “for being an entitled brat?”

“For asking things that I should have known that you didn’t want to talk about” Said before Regina could even open her mouth and it was then when Regina bit her own lower lip as another shiver crossed her body.

“Apologies accepted” Replied and Emma could hear the tiredness on her voice. “Don’t forget that the next time and maybe I can forgive you entirely”

Albeit their situation Emma smiled a little for that last part and rose her hand, thinking about touching the other’s woman elbow, making her feel reassured, helped, heard, but she knew that Regina wouldn’t ever accept a gesture like that.

“She thought about you” Said Regina looking at the sky as another wave of magic washed over her. “Me, I mean, when you left she thought about you”

Emma’s right brow rose as she looked at the older woman, trying to understand what Regina was trying to say her but the brunette it’s silent for so long that she starts to think that Regina doesn’t want to keep talking until, with a shy smile, Regina resumed talking.

“She learnt how to ride a horse because of you, because she dreamt about going after you the first time that you disappeared and she learned how to talk in the other languages of this realm trying to find yours”

“I don’t speak a different language” Complained Emma, starting to understand what Regina was trying to say.

“But you have a different accent and she believed that that it was because you talked another language” Mutters Regina smiling a little, the bashful look still present in her face. “You shaped her but you didn’t change how she was the first time”

“You admired me” Whispers Emma and this time Regina doesn’t denies that she is the older version of that girl, she only nods twice before wincing a little when another shudder made her tremble. “But I didn’t do anything”

“You were there; you came back, for me… for her,  that was a lot. You were right, you needed to stay.”

They both looked at the cottage, refusing to talk anymore about Regina or the girl that is now in the house as the darkness lurking in the shadows starts to disappear but when another magic wave left Regina trembling the blonde stood up.

“What it’s happening? In the cottage” Asked and Regina smiled again rubbing her wrists as her eyes flashed purple.

“My mother, she is punishing… me”

Emma looked at her, feeling dizzy as she took another look of the cottage and if she squints her eyes she could see the flicker of a light in one of the windows.

“Why?” Asked a little too forcefully but Regina answered softly.

“She caught me trying to sneak around and go to see Daniel in the middle of the night.”

Emma bit her tongue and tried to not to say anything that could upset the older woman but as another wave swept over Regina she touched the older woman’s back reassuringly and she kept it there until the day arrived.

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 14- A little Earlier)_

The pirate eyed Cora with a smile in his lips as the other woman sniffed Emma’s jacket, feeling the magic in it.

“It appears that you said the truth” Said finally and Hook nodded once as he folded the jacket sloppily. “It was a good investment to keep a servant next to the room that you used two years earlier”

“As you can see I never lied to you” Said Hook eyeing the servant a little warily, the sting of the edge of the knife still present in his neck.

Cora smirked but nodded and commanded the servants to leave them alone.

“So you told me that this blonde woman was something that this… Regina had stolen from you. Why is that?”

“I think that she simply wanted to mess around with me, my lady” Answered Hook smoothly.

“So this woman hasn’t anything special? I thought that people like you liked a good challenge”

“She is a challenge, but only in the bed, my lady” Replied Hook and Cora hummed, her eyes calculating if that really was true.

“I have the distinct impression that this woman, Regina, is my daughter. What do you think about that, pirate?” Asked instead, circling the man as a shark sizing its prey.

Hook only shrugged, not knowing exactly where Cora was going with that.

“So believe me if I have doubts about why my daughter would want a woman that has nothing special as her companion” Said Cora and Hook fought the need to lick his lips.

“Both of them were enemies in the past, my lady, they fought over Emma’s son so I simply think that Regina would want to keep him from her”

Cora hide a smile, satisfied that her daughter had truly become what she had wanted for her.

“Well then pirate. And how do you plan to return back to your time when you finally found them?”

“I have a backup plan, my lady, you don’t need to worry” Answered Hook but he cursed under his breath because it wasn’t true; he hoped that the women knew how to do it because the crocodile hadn’t told him how he could return.

( _Storybrooke)_

Henry walked in the Rumplestiskin pawn shop trying to appear more confident than he really felt.

“Rumple…” Started but the older man appeared at his right holding something that Henry couldn’t see before it was put in a velvet box.

“Here I am, what happened now?”

“I only wanted to know if there is something new about my mothers or Hook” Said Henry as he looked at the place, as full of different things as ever.

“I’m afraid not” Answered Gold shrugging. “But I think that it’s a good sign, your mother would never have gone to me in the past so you can count that as a good sign”

“Why a good sign?” Asked the boy as he touched softly what it looked like an ice statue.

“Because if we would have met in the past most certainly I would have used your mothers magic” Replied the older man and for a moment Henry could feel the darkness that this man had in him. “But as soon as I feel them I would let you know. It’s everything a matter of time”

“But you won’t… didn’t… use them if you see… saw each other?” Asked the boy and shuddered when the man smirked knowingly.

“That’s a thing that I cannot promise, I can’t tell my older shelf how to react, Henry”

And with that Henry found himself in the street again.

“I hope they are both ok” He thought as he shivered, the cold was getting worse.


	12. The realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hello! Well this author’s note is going to explain a few details about Hook’s whereabouts; He travels in time at the same time that Emma and Regina but the trick is about how much he spends in each thread of time. The first time Regina and Emma were there almost two days as well as the second time that they traveled so every time that they traveled Hook went with them. That means that Hook is going to travel in time again when it passes the same amount of time that Emma and Regina were in their previous thread of time. Hook is now at the same moment that Regina being 14 and Emma and Regina are with a younger version of the brunette (16) so when another day passes Hook is going to be travel at the same thread of time in which are Emma and Regina… unless they travel before the pirate.  
> I wanted to explain this because a few people asked about this in fanfiction.net and I wanted to explain it. If you are still having doubts please ask me ;)  
> PS: Ah, sorry for the slow burn, this is the last “slow” chapter though.

_Enchanted forest (Regina being 14)_

Hook looked at the sky, the moon starting to disappear as the sun emerged and he drank a little from his flask as he resumed his walking across the room. 

After the talk with Cora he had tried to think of a plan, as soon as he found Emma and Regina Cora would surely ask for Regina’s head and he didn’t know how to return back to Storybrooke so there was a possibility that Emma would want to stay and help Regina, and that would mean that he would lose Emma. Something that he didn’t like in the slightest so he needed to find a plan b in case that neither Regina nor Emma knew how to return to Storybrooke.

The sun was starting to touch the mansion walls when his lips parted in a smile; the only solution to his problems was the other magic source strong enough to deter Cora, Rumplestiskin.

* * *

 

_Enchanted forest (Regina being 16)_

Emma smiled as she saw how the younger Regina kissed Daniel briefly and waved at her, today they had seen each other again and the blonde could tell how the teenaged version of the brunette was ecstatic to see her.

“Where have you been?” She had asked repeatedly and Emma, looking at Regina who was hidden behind a spell, only had shrugged softly, avid to know more about this other version of the brunette.

She was happy to see that Regina had turn out into a compassionate young woman but the remorse of knowing that this girl was going to see very soon the death of her lover was making her heart rip apart with every passing second.

“Don’t even think about it” Said Regina at her side and Emma looked at her, noticing that the teens had disappeared from where they had been standing.

“Think about what?” Asked, rising her chin but Regina only sighed and turned, interning into the woods and sitting in their usual spot.

“She can’t be saved” Answered the older woman as Emma approached her.

“And why is that?” Asked the blonde sitting herself next to Regina as the shadows grew around them with each passing second.

“We already talked about this; she needs to fulfill her story, mine story.”

Emma shook her head and looked at her hands which were playing with a thread of grass.

“I was talking about you, Regina, why can’t you be… happy? And if you didn’t want to change your past what do you want to write?”

Regina didn’t answer at first and Emma looked at her thinking that she had lost the trust of the woman again but, after a few minutes the brunette started talking, uncertainty lacing her words.

“I won’t be happy until I get rid of this title, of being a villain. So no, I can’t be happy until I write a loophole inside of the book. I didn’t mean to end up here. I’m aware of what I did and I don’t want to erase it because everything led me to Henry. But I want to look at my future knowing that I can be happy”

Emma bit her lips and sighed, her hand breaking the delicate ring that she had created with the grass as she looked once again to Regina, the woman lost in thought as her lips trembled.

Raising one hand Emma touched Regina’s forearm and caressed the fabric and the skin that was behind the clothes.

“You are not a villain because of what was written in a book” Started Emma and when the brunette looked at her with a raised eyebrow she stammered. “I don’t mean that you are a villain, I mean that is your decisions what had made you a better person. Even if you were evil once you had the reasons that made you evil. And you have changed; you don’t need… you rewrite anything. You are already different”

Regina looked at the blonde until the younger woman blushed and let go the brunette’s arm which made her feel lost without a reason.

“It doesn’t matter what you think” Muttered Regina, her voice strong enough to make an owl hoot at some point at their backs “Sadly I’m still perceived as a villain”

“But you aren’t one” Said Emma softly as she arose, her eyes looking out for some wood. “And she isn’t one. And being perceived as a hero doesn’t bring you a happy ending”

The brunette looked at the younger woman as Emma bit her lower lip, already wanting to take her words back.

“Why do you say that?” Asked Regina and her voice broke a little at the end. “You are happy, you have a family”

“You gave me that family Regina, we both can stop pretending that you didn’t do that. Without you I would have never have Henry, or my parents.”

“I certainly didn’t give you Hook” Replied the older woman and Emma cackled, her laugh sounding false even on her own ears.

“I never said that Hook was my happy ending Regina. My family is my happy ending and I want you to believe me when I say that you are part of my family. You are Henry’s other mother, then one who saw him grow. So no, you aren’t a villain. And I have never thought that you were one”

Regina watched how Emma disappeared into the wood and sighed looking at the book who kept firmly closed.

“Once we are back I won’t be one anymore” Muttered to herself as she felt another surge of power from the cottage. Her mother was anxious.

She also felt nervous because tomorrow was going to be Daniel’s death and she could recall how devastated she had been, how betrayed she had felt when Daniel had fallen, death, impassible to her cries.

And even if she didn’t want to admit it the last words of Emma had brought her back to another future that she had contemplated the first time that she had realized that Emma had magic powers. A future in which she could be happy.

A future in which there weren’t fairy dust or soulmates, a future in which she was only Regina, a future in which Emma was only Emma.

* * *

 

_Enchanted Forest (Regina being 14)_

Cora watched intently her daughter who was currently trying to read a book with her back as rigid as Cora had commanded her.

It was a dark pleasure to know that that idiotic child was going to be everything she had expected, a Queen with her own power, but the mere idea that she was going to be death because of her own daughter infuriated her.

“Whenever I catch her I am going to make her see the mistake that she made” Muttered as she looked at her husband with a pointed look as she won, once again, their chess game.

“You need to protect better your king, Henry” Said to him as the man nodded without saying a word, his eyes fixed in the little smile that Regina was sporting as she read, once again, another tale of another lands.

“I wonder if she is there” Thought briefly thinking about Emma.

 


	13. The Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry for the wait! As I had written in my other stories I couldn’t write these days so now I’m catching up with all of my fics. Hope you had a wonderful holidays and Happy New year to everyone!  
> P.S: This chapter is written in a slightly different manner from the other ones because this it’s going to be the point in with everything starts to evolve so I needed to write it with a slightly different perspective but I hope you all enjoy it the same.

_(Enchanted Forest, Regina being 16)_

Hook coughed as he appeared once again in the same bed that he had just left moments before, the place was dark due to the big curtains that had been added since his last visit to the place and he needed a few seconds before finally settling his mind, the plan that he had concocted already playing on his mind.

He didn’t know if he had finally managed to catch both Emma and Regina but he was growing tired of traveling and so he expected the same from both women.  Since he kept appearing in the same place he suspected that they weren’t very far from the cottage so he hoped to find something that led him to them.

And maybe, also, put his plan into action.

Opening the door he came across the same man that he had previous met the first time so, with a studied grin he asked for Cora.

( _Same time, other place)_

Regina cringed as she saw how her younger self hurried to safe the younger version of Snow as Emma watched everything intently at her side.

“You really know how to ride a horse” Muttered the blonde and Regina smiled a little, fully knowing that the young woman was trying to make that moment as easy as possible.

After last night’s talk the blonde seemed to have think a lot about Regina’s words and whenever the brunette felt the dull pain of Daniel’s death returning to her chest the younger woman seemed to know when she needed to hear something different from what she was experiencing.

But even the kind words of the younger woman couldn’t hide the fact that this was going to be the day of Daniel’s murder and as she eyed the book that rested between her arms she prayed that the leather cover would open at any moment now, fearing that the book wouldn’t open as they had expected in the first place.

If that didn’t work Regina’s mind was already trying to form another plan but the idea of keeping traveling until they hit the time line in which she had cast the cursed the first time seemed rather dangerous and she feared that Merlin’s magic couldn’t do it without a very high price.

Sighing she glanced at Emma who was looking at the younger version of the brunette, a soft smile touching her lips as she saw the tender smile that crossed Regina’s features when Snow talked to her.

“You smile just like her” Regina blurted out, as the young Snow smiled back at her teen-aged version.

“You think?” Replied Emma crinkling her nose and Regina exhaled, the ghosts of last night’s thoughts returning to her. “I’m not sure about that…”

The older woman was about to answer to that when she finally saw how the little Snow and herself managed to return back to the teen’s horse, both of them talking animatedly as Snow kept smiling at what she had been once.

Hurriedly she glanced down, hoping that in any second she would be able to open the book but even if she tried manually and magically the book kept closed.

Worriedly she looked at the figure of Daniel, the man already walking back to the cottage and as she saw how the figure finally entered into the place she felt an iron fist chocking her.

“No” Muttered under her breath as she turned, giving her back to the blonde who eyed Regina worriedly as she, too, looked at Daniel.

* * *

Rumplestiskin frowned as he sensed another surge of magic not far from there; the magic was strong albeit erratic and didn’t look like any other magician he knew. With a little demonical smile he grabbed one of his items, wanting to know the exact source of that powerful magic.

* * *

Emma sighed as she toyed with a few leaves, trying to make something from them as she saw how Regina kept pacing from the corner of her eyes, the former queen was still trying to open the book but it refused to do it and the muttered curses that the brunette made under her nose were starting to make the younger woman nervous.

“Maybe we just need to wait” Said Emma as the sun finally started its descent. After seeing the scene that had played earlier in the day the blonde was trying not to push Regina’s buttons, the woman was clearly distraught and she whenever Emma had tried to comfort her again the woman had lashed out to her.

 “Wait to what, Miss Swan?” The brunette replied, her eyes murderous as she tried another spell on the book, her hands trembling slightly “Wait to see Daniel’s death? I have already meet Snow White, the book should be open by now”

Emma bit her lower lip as she eyed the stubborn book that remained closed between the both of them.

“Maybe we need to wait a few hours, we don’t know exactly how this magic is working”

“Suddenly you know everything from magic items?” Asked bitterly the brunette woman but as her words left her mouth she closed those cocoa eyes with disgust. “I’m sorry”

Emma smiled a little at that and shook her head, making Regina look at her.

“It’s strange to be the one asked for mercy” Said the blonde, her tone purposely light “I wonder if that will work when we are back to Storybrooke”

“If we ever go back” Answered Regina grimly as she tried to hide a tiny smile.

“We will” Replied the golden-haired woman, “And if we ever need to be here when that time arrives we will try to be as far as you need to”

Regina swallowed but nodded, her eyes set on the moving sun.

“Thank you”

* * *

 

As the dawn approached Regina became more restless but the book didn’t open even after Emma magic attempts after the brunette had used everything she knew.

But as it looked it wasn’t good enough and the book remained unopened albeit the brunette could sense the magic inside of it as it grew between the old pages.

“Is almost time” Said once the darkness and shadows made their appearance.

“What do you want to do?” Asked the blonde, putting is right hand in Regina’s forearm, wanting to show as much support as the older woman needed.

“It’s better if we go there, then as soon as… it happens we will know”

The blonde merely nodded once as Regina started walking towards the cottage.

* * *

 

The body of Daniel fell to the floor, unmoving as the young Regina cried and screamed, trying to recover her lover from the cold hands of the Death.

And as the piercing screams of that young Regina resonated through the night air Emma looked at the older version of the brunette girl, tears also falling from those chocolate eyes as her mouth opened in silent screams, mirroring the ones that she had emitted when she was barely sixteen.

Emma opened her own mouth and tried to say something but the raw pain that she saw in the other woman left her speechless and as seconds ticked by and the screams turned in muffled sobs Regina trembled and stumbled, her hands grasping the air as she tried to keep her standing. Alongside with the sobs the cruel words of Cora were also brought to the couple and Emma cringed, feeling powerless and tiny in comparison of what Cora had done.

With sudden rage Regina stumbled forwards, a part of her wanting probably to hurt her mother just like the other woman had hurt her when she was only a child, but Emma stopped her, knowing that even if it broke her heart they needed to remain silent.

“I’m sorry” Said as she tightened her arms around the smaller brunette, the sobs and prayers of the young Regina engulfing them in a vortex of loose and pain. “I’m so sorry” Repeated, this time her arms circling the other woman’s waist as she tried to give her an awkward hug, Regina’s frame trembling as ragged breaths came out of her mouth.

The blonde thought that maybe the brunette wasn’t going to answer but after a few more moments the soft voice of Regina could be heard from her position between Emma’s arms.

“This time, Miss Swan, you don’t need to feel guilty”

The words were bitter and angry but they had also a soft undertone that made Emma smile as she squeezed the other woman a little tighter.

“Emma” Reminded the blonde to the older woman and when she felt how Regina nodded she let go the brunette’s body, suddenly feeling very conscious of herself.

And as Emma coughed and motioned the book who appeared to be glowing in the dark with a soft golden glow a fragile voice was heard at their backs, the hurt in it making Emma close her eyes as another wave of nausea hit her as well as the brunette at her side as she recognized what it had been her own voice.

“Emma?” The young girl asked, her voice broken and croaked as she approached who she had considered a friend. “Is that you? Who is with you?”

Emma looked at Regina who simply cloaked behind magic in a matter of second before turning to the teen who stood in front of them.

And it was there when Emma finally saw the part of Regina that the brunette had tried so hard to hide, the part of that little girl whose world had changed in a matter of seconds, who didn’t even feel safe or secure anymore. And in that fleeting moment Emma recognized that looks as the same one that she had seen in the adult counterpart of the brunette the first time that she had returned from the enchanted forest.

“It’s… a friend” Answered finally as she approached the teen who stumbled backwards, blindly trying to reach to something.

“You heard?” Asked the teen, her eyes boring holes into Emma’s soul, the despair clear as the brunette’s voice break down once again. “You were here?”

Emma nodded, slowly, rising both of her hands, recognizing the look of betrayal as the young Regina looked at her, not bothering in the slightest to look at the blonde’s companion, her words knives that made Emma loath the moment in which she couldn’t change the past.

“Why you didn’t help me! You said you were a good which” Screamed the young woman at the top of her lungs, the tears now falling freely down her cheeks as she clutched her chest, in a mirror fashion of what her older counterpart was doing, suddenly mesmerized as another memory entered her mind, the hurt of that moment that she was experiencing hitting her as well as the young Regina.

And then, everything exploded.


	14. Blanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Remember that I told in the previous chapter that it was written differently because of something? Well, here it is: At this time line both our ladies and Hook are doing different things, in the previous chapter we managed to see what were doing both women, but this… well, it’s a little different. If anyone has doubts you can always ask me.  
> And I hope that no one wants to kill me after this, I promise you all a happy ending!

**Blanks**

_Opening the door he (Hook) came across the same man that he had previous met the first time so, with a studied grin he asked for Cora._

_(Enchanted forest, Regina being 16)_

The woman stood as imposing as the first time that the captain had saw her, the gleam of intelligence still present in her eyes as she greet him with a studied smirk that made Killian remember why he feared the woman in the first place.

“So you are here” Stated Cora, her voice a whisper that resonated through the room reaching Hook’s ears who nodded promptly.

“It happens that my target is moving again milady”

The brunette woman nodded as she glanced at the window that looked at the backyard and smirking cruelly she approached to it, a pensive look on her face as she watched something that Hook couldn’t see from his position.

“Milady?” Asked Hook after a few more minutes of silence, Cora’s smirk growing with each passing second.

Finally, after a few more moments, Cora nodded to herself looking extremely pleased and turned her head to Hook’s side, her feline eyes making the pirate gulp as the woman approached him with a raised eyebrow, a pleased look on her features.

“You were saying then Cap…”

Suddenly the old woman stopped talking as her whole posture grew rigid, a reddish glow illuminated her pupils as she turned again, her eyes almost scanning the leaves that grew outside.

“What it is?” Asked Hook as she tried to approach the window, curious to see what was happening outside but the woman merely raised her hand and choked him, making him stop dead in his tracks.

“Congratulations” Murmured viciously Cora as she finally made Hook free from her grasp. “It seems that wheatear some new power is threating foolishly my home or you have managed to reach your target.”  

Hook coughed and looked at the brunette with a nasty look, doubting that the woman was telling him all the truth given her calculated smirk and pleased eyes, the red glow gone.

“How do you know that?” The man asked as he rubbed his sore neck with his hand.

“Because what I have sensed outside has enough power to make anyone travel through time”

* * *

 

_“Is almost time” Said once the darkness and shadows made their appearance._

_“What do you want to do?” Asked the blonde, putting is right hand in Regina’s forearm, wanting to show as much support as the older woman needed._

_“It’s better if we go there, then as soon as… it happens we will know”_

_The blonde merely nodded once as Regina started walking towards the cottage._

_(Enchanted forest,Regina being 16, a little earlier)_

Cora closed her eyes as she tried to channel her magic to the incredible source that she had felt earlier but this time the magic was muffled, as if it was hidden.

“Or cloaked with another spell” Thought to herself as she nodded at the little scene playing inside the stables. If the infamous pirate had been right the woman who possessed the magic that she had felt earlier was the same woman that was now smiling at the stable boy. Another reason to make her daughter the Queen that she needed her to be, the amount of magic that Cora felt so near her own was overwhelming: she needed to create what she had already created, she needed that magic and, with it, she was going to be as powerful as she needed to not be mocked ever again. To have the power that she truly deserved and wanted.

She looked at the pirate and pointed at a little bush near the other extreme of the stable, now that she knew what kind of magic was near her own she could feel the distinct smell of it and the way it grew erratically with every passing second.

“The woman you seek is probably there”

With that last statement she entered in the stable and, smirking, happy to see that she was making the first step to make her daughter become the person that she needed, she ripped off Daniel’s heart from the man’s chest, a low surge of magic running down her body as the last strand of life abandoned him.

“And now the magic” She thought with a macabre smile lingering on her lips.

* * *

 

_“You heard?” Asked the teen, her eyes boring holes into Emma’s soul, the despair clear as the brunette’s voice break down once again. “You were here?”_

Cora tilted her head as she watched the women in front of the teen, the one that Regina was talking to was the blonde that the pirate had talked about and even if at first she didn’t look powerful or threatening there was something about her that made her skin prickle. The other woman was hidden to the teen’s sight and consequently her own but there was something in her that Cora could recognize.

As the teary questions of Regina kept escalating she charged her magic into one single ball between her hands as the pirate approached the three women using the shadows and darkness of the night.

“Why you didn’t help me?” Regina asked in that moment, her voice breaking as she grabbed her own chest with rage and despair. And as Cora let the magic come out she could heard the last question that made her frown as another plan formed inside her brain.

But then her magic surrounded the group and everything exploded.

**A/N I know, I know: Why Regina didn’t realize that the book was emitting such power and both her mother and Rumple could distinguish it? Well, I have a theory and given that I want to explain it properly I will leave this long note here Xd**

**I think that there are magic, like true love kisses, that is born from two people’s will and mind and even if with their kiss they would feel a strange current of electricity it would be just that, for them their kiss isn’t special, or different than for the rest of the world. Is only a kiss and therefore they feel it like that: A kiss from the people they love. Special,  yes, but not magical.**

**But it’s the power that the kiss contains who make it special, the seer amount of love that makes it glows and cures, it’s the power of two combined minds.**

**I think that it’s the same with the book since it’s a magical object enchanted (more or less) with Merlin’s ink, it has a mind of its own but it hasn’t managed to “attach” itself to no one, therefore when Regina and Emma create the moment in which the book should charge itself they don’t feel anything because they have created that energy but people around them can feel it. And since the magic that they are preforming it’s more like a charging than anything it’s the only magical attached people who can feel it.**

**So there it is, and remember that reviews are my drug, give me my dose! xD**


	15. The right approach

_“Why you didn’t help me! You said you were a good which” Screamed the young woman at the top of her lungs […]And then, everything exploded._

Emma didn’t have time to process the harsh words as magic surrounded them for a second, sparkling lights breaking against their skin while every nerve of her body started to hurt as if she was being bathed in acid. Blindly, she reached for something at her side, where she fuzzily remembered that Regina had been standing a few seconds earlier.

Her hands, however, grabbed something cold and metallic and, with chattering teeth, she tried to take a hold on it, the pain on her body system too strong to think in anything else that to escape.

She tried to open her eyes and mouth, both of them clenched as she managed to fight the bone-breaking force that was growing inside of her. Finally, she managed to open her mouth and as a scream started to climb its way up her throat she managed to call Regina, feeling fear when no one answered after the first seconds, the strange object on her hands moving between her fingers as if it was trying to get it free. As the pain finally seemed to subside the strange sound that has been filling her head cleared out and she finally managed to distinguish what it looked like Hook’s voice.

“Love, wake up, we need to go” Was saying the pirate and Emma opened her eyes just an inch, confirming that, in fact, it was really Hook who was talking with her. Behind the face of the pirate the sky was still black and her surroundings smelled like ozone; it seemed that she was still on the Enchanted Forest.

“Regina” Said mumbling as she stood with her legs trembling under her weight; it looked like whatever had hit them had made them nauseous.

“She is alright, but we need to move, love” Answered Hook and Emma was already nodding and moving when she turned, trying to see if Regina was indeed as good as Hook had said. To her surprise they were a few miles away the cottage, the stables a little light at their right.

“Where are we?” Emma asked and eyed the pirate who raised his hand and hook in surrender.

“Cora attacked both of you, but I could save you before her magic hit you”

Emma was going to keep questioning, feeling that something was decidedly off, when a purple cloud encircled them for a second before a slightly disheveled Regina appeared, her normal tanned skin now ghostly white as her own jaw was clenched in what Emma suspected was pain.

“Regina?” Hook and her asked at the same time as the woman stood there as tall as she was.

“I’ve been searching for you for the past minutes” Regina stated talking directly to Emma “It seems that Cora was prepared to repel our presence, the magic that she used hit both of us but somehow I saw you disappear before the pain blinded me, judging for the traces of magic I think it was her the one who did this.”

Emma frowned at that; she hadn’t felt anything after the numbing pain and what now it appeared to be Hook’s hook, who now was looking at the older woman as Regina held the remains of the bag in her arms.

“Have you managed to open it?” The blonde asked as she approached the brunette, her body still shaking a bit.

“Unfortunately the book isn’t cooperating with us, it seems that we need another plan to escape this realm”

“We can go to see the crocodile” Hook butted in “The last time we traveled he ended up helping us”

When Emma registered the sentence she turned her whole body to Hook, eyeing quite suspiciously  the pirate’s eyes, that blinked back at her. She was grateful to see that someone had finally decided to help them from their own time line but there was something about the pirate’s presence that made her own senses tingle.

“Working with Rumple is not something that can be count as an option” Replied Regina at her side, her words as smooth as ever but dripping venom. “ Perhaps you could tell us how you managed to travel in time and… save us”

Emma sighed at that but nodded, knowing that Regina merely wanted information, something that she also wanted to have given that, as far as they both knew, traveling in time was something quite difficult to accomplish.

* * *

Hook tried to touch Emma’s hands with his good one but the blonde kept looking at him with a slightly suspicious look that made him want to murder Regina himself. The brunette was suspicious of him and he really couldn’t tell Emma her whole plan with Cora (As far as he knew the other woman was probably chasing them in that moment) so after a few more seconds of silence he finally managed to came up with a slightly changed version of what happened to him.

“Henry and your parents are worried and when we realized that… the both of you seemed to have disappeared we worried that you have been sequestered by the Ice Queen. But Gold could sense that magic had been performed in Regina’s house and I asked to be the one to help both of us, turned out that the crocodile sent me to the past, I have been chasing you for the past days but as soon as you changed time lines I did the same so it had been quite an eventful sailing. I appeared a few miles away when I saw you all and Cora lurking in the shadows and I run as fast as I could to prevent both of you”

His speech was flawless and he almost patted his own back as he saw how Emma nodded reluctantly at that as Regina merely hummed before turning her attention to the book.

“The imp is the only one that knows how to make us return” Said again, this time his voice stronger than the first time. “He is the only one with enough magic to do it once we explain him what we want”

* * *

 

Regina clenched her fists as she felt another wave of magic running down her body, they were being targeted and judging by the magic that she now could feel there was already someone else trying to reach them.

As she eyed the pirate’s soulless eyes she tried to hide her loathing for the man, her upper lip wrinkling into a sneer as the man tried to feed them with half- thought lies. She couldn’t prove it but it was definitely strange the sudden apparition of the dark haired man, strange and dangerous.

Meanwhile, Emma was touching and prodding the book that, as Regina had stated, still refused to open, Hook’s tale made her skin prickle, the lies blatant but she was tired enough to try to find a solution of their actual situation before taking care of Hook’s strange apparition.

“He is right in one thing” She heard herself saying, making Regina look at her. “Gold was the one who helped us when we traveled, he is a lot of things but if we manage to make a deal with him…”

“That Imp is the one who always wins with that deals” Stated Regina furiously “I thought we have already established that, is no safe for us to ask for his help since the only valuable things that we have is the ones that we need”

Emma was going to answer to that when a red mist engulfed the three of them for a few seconds before a high-pitched- voice resonated through their ears.

“Then our deal will be a really quick one. Is that right, dearie?”


	16. The price to pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Agh, Sorry for the wait apparently my immunological system decided that it was time to make me feel awful and I have been stuck in bed with 40º degrees that, I believe, is something near to 104º Fahrenheit. But today my temperature is more normal so I believe that I’m going to update a few stories, unfortunately I haven’t had the time to write the next installment of CBN or IWTEQ but I hope to update them in the weekend as well as Words of Desire.  
> Anyway, enjoy!

**“** _Then our deal will be a really quick one. Is that right, dearie?”_

It didn’t matter that Emma already knew how Rumplestiskin looked like in the Enchanted Forest; when the mist finally disappeared and the man was smiling at them with his crocodile eyes glinting mischievously she felt slightly nauseous and judging by Regina’s jaw she wasn’t the only one.

“Dark One” Muttered the brunette as the man nodded eagerly.

“Well, it seems that past and future collides, isn’t it?” The man asked to the three of them with a maniacal laugh.

“How did you…” Started to ask Emma but she found the answer “You still can see the future”

Rumplestiskin nodded once again as he studied the three of them, his eyes going back and forth between Emma, Regina and the book.

“It’s certainly very interesting all of this” Said finally. “And don’t think that I have forgotten about you” Continued as his eyes locked now with Hook’s who actually shivered a little.

“You said something about a deal” Said Emma, trying to avoid more problems as Regina sighed deeply at her side.

The man who was going to be known as Mr. Gold turned to Emma and studied her for a few seconds before answering.

“I can procure all of you a deal, a deal that would make you return to your actual timeline if that thing is actually possible”

“Are you talking about the wand again?” Asked Hook but Rumplestiskin shook his head and moved quickly until her face was inches apart from the pirate.

“If I do that I would change your pasts, wouldn’t I? No, I can feel that you have an enchanted item, I can make a potion that would make all of you go back to whatever point of the future you are from”

Emma looked at Regina as she felt the older woman stiffen even more as Rumplestiskin kept talking.

“And… what do you want?” Emma asked carefully avoiding the man’s eyes.

Rumplestiskin laughed darkly and approached the two women with quick steps.

“The book” Replied as he pointed at the book that Regina was holding now against her chest.

“No” Answered Regina with her teeth bared. “If you can really see the future you know that I can’t do that”

“Dearie” Replied Rumplestiskin “The book holds incredible power, power that would be very useful for me. If you don’t want to trade then I can’t help you”

He was about to disappear into thin air when Emma decided that she had had enough.

“Stop!” Rumplestiskin turned, his eyes glinting with curiosity as Emma approached him “If you really know who we are then you know that we can’t die. And Cora was ready to do it. Help us and we will talk about what we can and what we can’t give to you.”

Rumplestiskin looked at Emma for so long that the woman started to feel that she had only made everything worse. At her side both Hook and Regina kept silence as another magic burst could be felt next to where they were standing.

After minutes that felt like hours the devious man nodded and giggled. “Fair enough”

And with that the four of them disappear just as Cora reached the meadow in which they had been.

* * *

 

Once all of them appeared in Rumplestiskin castle the man left them alone giggling to himself as he disappeared again.

“Are we going to worry about how quickly he had decided to help us?” Emma asked as she seated in one of the chairs that were in the room.

“You were the one that decided that it was worthy to ask his help” Replied Regina curtly, still holding the book against her chest while eyeing the pirate suspiciously.

“I’m sure everything is going to work out, and we can give him the book. Is not that important after all” Said Hook and it was Emma who cringed as she felt the stormy mood in which Regina seemed to have fallen since the pirates appearance grew once again.

“Perhaps not for you, pirate, but I don’t expect you to understand what it’s important in life since your unique goal is to impress someone that clearly doesn’t deserve you” Replied Regina quickly, making Emma turn at her, impressed of the brunette’s words. It had been the first time that the woman seemed to care of what she deserved and she felt a quiet calm growing inside of her.

“Enough” She said as she saw how Hook seemed to want to open his mouth and answer the brunette, the warmth still inside of her “We are not going to give the book to Rumple, we need to find something else to trade with him, we can always use the knowledge that we have but he doesn’t and trade information”

Regina stood up and shook her head, her eyes glinting softly with magic as she locked her eyes with the blonde, her voice a little shaky.

“He wants the book, being here is a mistake, we need to go and try to find another solution”

“The crocodile sent me here, I bet he knew what was going to happen” Chimed in the pirate as he also stood, his lips closed in what seemed to be a smirk.

“That’s the other question we need to address, how come we didn’t see you? You were using magic; I would have been able to feel your presence, even if we traveled a differently”

The pirate shrugged and tried to appear as relaxed as possible but Emma felt the nervousness that suddenly filled the man’s eyes.

“You will need to ask Gold that, if I remember correctly the magic thirsty ones in this place aren’t me or Swan here”

Regina scoffed at that but managed to keep silent at Emma’s mouthed request. In the blonde’s eyes the other woman was right, there was something strange in Hook but that moment wasn’t the time to start throwing accusations, they needed to formulate a plan.

“Is late, how about we try to sleep before Rumplestiskin comes again and asks for the book?”

Both the pirate and the brunette nodded reluctantly and Emma exhaled, suddenly feeling even more exhausted than before.

“Ok, then, we wait until Rumple show us his intentions and then we try to change whatever his deal is” Emma said as Regina approached one of the few windows the room had.

“That would be correct, but he is the one who always wins a deal, don’t forget that” Replied the brunette curtly, already turning her back to the pirate and the blonde, the first one already trying to put his good arm over the blonde’s shoulders.

As she heard Emma’s faint protests Regina exhaled, the memory of Daniel’s death and her own feelings of betrayal still filling her mind. She had never felt anything like what she had felt when her young self had screamed at Emma, the pain almost touchable. She had felt betrayed, alone, she had felt stupid, and as she recalled what had been for her younger self see that the person she had grown to see as a hero wasn’t a hero at all she suddenly felt that there were something there. Something that she had kept hidden but was now bubbling inside her, almost touching the surface of her conscious mind.

“Don’t be a fool” Thought as she tried not to picture the blonde that was a few feet away. “Now that everything is over I will find a solution for the ink and I will write my own happy ending. And Emma would be another memory.”

But, for whatever reason, that didn’t sound as good as she had thought.

* * *

 

It took Emma’s every single piece of patience to not throw Hook at the other side of the room; apart from the lies that the blonde could feel piling up as the pirate kept explaining what he had done while searching for them there was also the feeling that she was chocking every time that the dark haired man tried to touch her while pretending to be sleeping.

Her relationship with Hook had always been a difficult one, she hadn’t felt anything especially strong for him but after the pirate’s sacrifice she had started to feel as if she was in some kind of debt with him. Now that she had passed  a few days without him every single movement of him was too much to bear; his lewdly smirk, his greedy hands, his rum-scented breath… and as she tried to sleep half seated in one of the chairs as she was she kept looking at Regina, who hadn’t move since she had approached the window.

Finally Hook stopped moving and, slowly, the blonde woman stood up, approaching the brunette woman carefully, not sure if Regina was sleeping at that point.

“Don’t need to look at me like I’m some sort of dangerous chimera dear” Regina said after Emma’s first attempts of talking.

“I’m sorry” Replied Emma “I didn’t want to wake you”

Regina snorted, her hands still caressing the book that kept closed to both of them.

“I doubt that I will be able to sleep tonight”

“I want to say sorry” Replied Emma, her eyes looking at her feet.

Regina turned and looked at the younger woman skeptically “You aren’t responsible of what happened”

“No” Admitted the blonde, her voice soft and tender and this time she raised her eyes carefully avoiding Regina’s “But I want to say sorry to the girl you once were. I know that I promised something that I couldn’t make it true. That all that happened needed to happen. But I want to say sorry to that girl”

Regina swallowed, suddenly feeling as if some kind of weight had disappeared from her chest.

“That girl isn’t me” Managed to whisper but as Emma shook her head she smiled because both of them knew that that statement was no longer true.

“I want to say sorry, you can blame me since I probably have by now some kind of hero complex but I wanted to make everything better.” Continued Emma, her eyes shining with what looked like tears. “Either way, I didn’t help in anything; I merely made all of this even more complicated that it was in the first place”

The brunette woman raised one hand and touched Emma’s elbow, the book resting on her lap as the moonlight touched their features, Emma’s green eyes looking almost silver with it.

“You made me remember things that I had forgotten; even if what you did was risky you kept making everything turn out as it was supposed to and for that I am more than grateful”

Both women kept looking at each other, too caught up in the moment to even notice how the pirate stood and went through the door where The Dark one had disappeared earlier.


	17. The fire

Rumplestiskin smiled when he heard the sound of the door opening, the not so silent steps of someone following that could be heard shortly after. Once the owner of those sounds appear in front of him his smile widened, letting his eyes glisten in murderous glee as he approached the pirate with bad-hidden revulsion.

“It seems that you haven’t change in the slightest” Commented to the pirate, one long finger caressing the dark leather of Hook’s dress coat.

Hook merely raised his chin and bared his teeth, hate lurking in his eyes as Rumplestiskin continued looking at him like the cat that caught the mouse.

“What makes you think that, crocodile?” The pirate finally asked his voice almost a growl.

“Because you are here, in the verge of making a deal with me and I’m quite sure that your lovely companions don’t know anything of it” Replied the Dark One with a vicious laughter at the end of the sentence “It’s quite fitting, don’t you think? What can I do for you?”

Hook licked his lips and breathed when Rumplestiskin finally took one step backwards, the shorter man eyeing him with a humorless laugh now, the glint of his eyes making Hook tremble a little, suddenly nervous.

“Take the book” The pirate muttered, carefully avoiding to talk louder.

Rumplestiskin hummed and touched her fingertips with his lips, his legs moving swiftly as he set his eyes on the taller man.

“Interesting concept, why?”

“Because it’s not something important for me” Replied Hook “You want it? It’s yours But with one requirement”

The dark one cackled “Magic always comes with a price, and it’s not always how you have believed it will be charged”

Hook shrugged, he had been lucky on avoiding prices and he was running out of options.

“I’m sure, crocodile, you got your book but you keep the bloody Queen with you, that’s my deal”

Rumplestiskin pondered the situation, the brunette woman was powerful, and an important piece in his own future as it seemed, the price that the man before him could be actually high enough to clench his thirst to make him pay for what he had done.

“And what makes you feel that I won’t tell the other one what actually happened here back in your own time?” Asked out of the blue, his smile even more prominent as he saw the pirate’s eyes shine with worry for a second.

“Because you can’t change the future, you said that yourself, crocodile. You will make you forget”

Rumplestiskin giggled at that and hopped, already extracting a contract of his sleeve.

“Sign here then, pirate, and try to return to the room as soon as you do it, the fire is about to start” Muttered Rumple as he gave a vial of potion to Hook’s good hand, his sinister pupils dilating.

* * *

 

Emma opened her eyes groggily, she didn’t remember when she had dozed off but it couldn’t have been that long since the moon was almost in the same position as before. Looking at her side she smiled, Regina’s face finally relaxed with sleep as she clutched tightly the book against her chest.

Emma stood, cracking her neck and wincing at the slight pain that she could feel on her back as Regina kept sleeping. Or maybe she was only thinking judging the quick movements behind her eyelids. The blonde was about to whisper the brunette’s name to be sure of that when she heard something at the other side of the door. Looking briefly at Hook she checked that the pirate was still in the same position as earlier so she decided to go and check if everything was alright.

Just as she was opening the wooden door she heard something again, a strange mutter that seemed to fill the corridor, as a swarm of rabid bees; pursing her lips she took a step and started walking towards the end of the corridor, revising what she knew that could come in handy in a situation like that.

Just as she finally arrived at the left end of the corridor the sound ended abruptly, leaving behind a deafening silence that made Emma uneasy, the wind holding a tension that kept building up inside the blonde’s lungs until she almost had the compulsion to scream.

Then, as she was about to turn over and enter the room, convinced that it had been only Rumplestiskin she heard another sound, much more threatening than the previous one that made her look at the end of the corridor; a large magical barrier of fire seemed to have emerged from nowhere, burning everything as it passed grazing the corridor’s walls, the carpet turning into ashes as smoke and heat washed over Emma’s startled face, looking at what it didn’t exist a second before.

_“Magic”_ She thought and turned, trying to scream at the top of her lungs as more smoke seemed to got stuck in her mouth, making her cough even more. _“We are being attacked”_ She tried also to scream that last thought but the door seemed to be further and further away as she tried to reach it, the flames already caressing her calves with their jaws as she found herself feeling more and more tired, as if the smoke was pure chloroform.

_“Regina, I must warn her”_

But it was too late, the fire seemed to engulf her frame and as everything crumbled around her body she almost could picture Regina scowling at her for not being quick enough to wake her.

_“Regina”_

* * *

 

When Emma opened her eyes once again the first thing she did was to groan and cough at the strange taste that she had in her dry mouth. Then, just as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she jumped, suddenly remembering the fire and the heat that had engulfed her, devoured her while trying to reach….

She almost panicked when she felt two arms encircling her buy as not only her eyes but her other senses returned back she recognized the scent of kid’s shampoo and cinnamon.

“Kid?” She coughed, Henry’s teary laugh her only answer as she finally focused her eyes on the rest of the faces that watched her intently; David was there as well as Snow and even Mr. Gold was silently watching her from the background. “We are… back?”

Her voice was doubtful, not quite believing that they had finally crossed the portal through the time lines, Rumplestiskin had finally decided to help them? Or it has been the fire? With those thoughts she realized that her parents and Henry had tears running down her faces and what appeared to be a strong hand was gripping her left shoulder, the leather and rum scent making clear who the owner of that hand was.

“You frightened us” Said finally David, crushing her bones in a hug as Snow wept at his side.

“But how?” Asked Emma, turning her eyes to Mr. Gold who shrugged, his eyes half hidden under tired eyelids.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the information, dearie.” Replied the older man as it was Snow’s turn to give her a hug, Henry still clinging to her body.

“You don’t remember?” Asked Hook from her behind, her good hand still gripping her shoulder forcefully and she almost cringed before actually turning, ending her mother’s hug.

“Of what? Is Regina alright? The fire… “ Emma was about to keep talking when Henry hugged her even more tighter and as she glanced back at the kid she saw how her parents were glancing at her with deep concerned eyes.

“Love, we were attacked, fortunately I smelled the fire and I caught you as you lose your consciousness” Started Hook, carefully avoiding Regina’s topic, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the blonde and she searched for her body. It seemed that they were in Gold’s shop but apart from them the place was empty.

“You were barely awake when I made you run” Continued Hook softly, caressing her body with his hand as Emma shuddered. “We arrived at what appeared to be one of the crocodile’s laboratory and I saw the jacket that had brought me there so I took it, hoping to jump into another time line but we ended up in the middle of Storybrooke” At that Hook glanced briefly at Mr. Gold as Emma followed her eyes, her mind still foggy as she tried to reconnect what Hook was telling with what she had felt. “I suppose that the imp had treated the thing with magic, hoping to make us see his way”

“But I only felt the fire, I don’t remember running” Protested the blonde, her eyes turning frantic to the other presents, realizing for the first time that Belle was also next to Mr. Gold.

“You have been unconscious almost a day” Admitted David carefully avoiding her eyes “We think that whatever magic you inhaled it can have affected your most recent memories”

“That is something that actually can happen” Admitted Mr. Gold and if Emma had been listening more intently she could have saw the relief that filled Hook’s eyes when the older man said that.

“And Regina?” She asked again and everything around her seemed to stop before Snow coughed and talked, her voice crashing her.

“Hook didn’t see her when he woke up, so…”

“She is still stuck?” Asked the blonde woman in disbelief, glancing both at Hook and her parents as she kissed the top of Henry’s head, color drained of her cheeks.

“Love, the fire was too tall and magical, I think that…”

Hook didn’t finish his sentence but as Henry finally broke into sobs Emma realized what he had wanted to say.

Regina was possibly kidnapped or dead.

“No” She muttered, startling herself with her suddenly broken voice “I’m going to find her”

She had promised that woman to be there for her, she was going to keep her promise.

And as she caressed Henry’s back and moved away from Hook’s grasp she clenched her teeth, trying not to think that the pirate was actually right because she refused to think that Regina was dead. Or even in danger.

* * *

 

Brown eyes fluttered open at the quiet chirp of birds, a sweet scent filling up nostrils that opened, curiosity making the eyes actually focus as a low groan filled the space.

“You had a good night, dearie?” Resonated though Regina’s ears as she finally turned, Rumplestiskin smiling at her as a magnificent banquet was set on the table that had been empty the night before.


	18. The lost wor(l)ds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Well, tomorrow is St Valentine’s day and I’m writing something for it (with a little twist) but I wanted to give you this chapter of inked future before that.

_Storybrooke: Present_

Emma looked at the man in front of her as Henry’s sobs still pierced her memories. It had been a day since her awakening at Rumple’s shop and the kid still needed to stop crying, the previous night a nightmare as Henry had refused to sleep.

He didn’t want to admit what his grandparents and Hook told him once and again; that it was a chance that Regina wasn’t alive anymore.

Emma hadn’t believed that either and after hours of soothing Henry’s pain she had called Hook, the man who was now eyeing her as he tried to explain himself, Snow and David listening intently at the Granny’s dinner, the place that Emma had chosen early that morning.

“How is that you didn’t see Regina?” Asked Emma for what seemed to be the ninth time that morning “You could have, we were in danger and both of you were in the same room, the logical action would have been to see her and tell her to come after me or go with her after me.”

Hook swallowed and licked his upper lip as he repeated his story for the beginning once again.

“I already told you love, it was very chaotic and I couldn’t think properly, I suppose it was some other thing that made me open your eyes, perhaps I sensed that you were in danger”

Emma clenched her jaw as Hook dropped another cheesy line making Snow smile softly at him while David eyed her, worried of Emma’s darkened features,

“I don’t have the time for this” Muttered as she grabbed her own locks in frustration, she really didn’t know if Cora had attacked Rumple’s castle in the past and as the old man didn’t really remember anything they couldn’t start any investigation.

“Emma…” Said Snow in a soothing voice, her arms carrying Neal as she spoke, the baby happily sleeping as his sister looked at his mother seriously, the sounds of the dinner fading away.

“If I was the one trapped you were doing your very best to help me. If it was you da… David would be doing the same. So I’m going to try and find a solution” Replied the blonde, looking at Hook once again. “How did you traveled? What did you do?”

The pirate looked at both David and Snow, both of them pale as Emma tried her best to not look at them.

“Love, is almost as if you were accusing me” Whispered Hook as he smiled softly at the blonde who groaned before closing her eyes.

She knew that she was being irrational but something wasn’t right in Hook’s statement and she blamed for not having asked him earlier what he had done between his first time travel and when he had met with both Regina and she. Maybe if she had been more open to ask she would have seen Cora attacking Rumple’s castle… or whoever that had been.

Pinching her nose she tried to remember every detail that she had felt minutes before her black out, she remembered the fire and the fear that she had felt as well as the feeling of magic that impregnated the place seconds before everything changed. And the strange sound that had bothered her to the point of exiting the room.

Frowning, she looked again at Hook who was still trying to make her listen to his story but Emma shook her head, the pirate didn’t have the answers that she needed.

“I’m going to talk with Gold” She informed to her parents, David already nodding at her. “Henry was still asleep when I left but I wrote him a note since I don’t want to worry him, I told him that I was going to be available by phone but could you tell me if he wakes up?”

“I’m going with you” Offered Hook as he stood as quickly as he could but Emma was already shaking her head and looking away.

“Stay here, if something bad happens I prefer to… know where you are”

“Then I’m coming with you” Offered David, quickly kissing Snow’s forehead “You had us very worried, let me take care of this” Whispered the man to the blonde, his eyes pleading at her until she nodded reluctantly.

“Ok then” Muttered Emma “Tell Henry that I love him ok? When Regina comes back I want to tell her that I have taken care of Henry, if not she will kill me for sure”

And with that last statement directed to Snow she went to her car, parked outside the dinner with David in tow.

“She still believes that Regina is alive” Whispered the pirate to Snow who simply shrugged.

“I think she had a point on something, we would be searching for her and Regina… she isn’t someone who would fall without a fight, maybe she is right” Snow answered, kissing gently Neal’s head.

At her side the pirate swallowed tightly.

* * *

 

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

Regina looked at the sky that was visible through the only window of the room, the place was as void as the first time she had saw it and it had took all her willpower to not scream on Rumple’s face when the imp had put her in there.

She knew every inch of the dark one’s castle and it pained her how much she could still remember of her days as Rumplestiskin disciple.

The brunette closed her eyes and sighed, recalling her first moments the day before, when she had awoken to Rumple’s voice and laugh.

At first she had been floored, too caught up with the perspective of being left behind by both Hook and Emma. And that had worked for the Dark One the first minutes until the woman had realized that a woman such as Emma who had already see her worst couldn’t possibly left behind. She couldn’t believe it and she resisted the thought, even if the imp tried to make her believe that.

But she wasn’t the woman that the man was going to crave until she turned into the monster that she had been, she wasn’t a young child anymore and so the tricks that the man preformed weren’t as powerful as it had once been on her.

“You are lying” She had darkly told to Rumplestiskin when the man had tried to tell her that Emma had happily signed the contract.

“Prove it” Had replied the imp with a maniacal laugh before disappearing from the castle.

Regina knew that if that would have happened a few days ago she could have fallen on Rumple’s trap, her anger and wrath still too fresh in her mind. But after being with Emma for the last couple of days she could say that she… trusted her, one way or another. And the woman that had fought her in order to protect her younger self couldn’t be the woman that signed a contract and stabbed her on the back in the process. It was just too easy, too dirty.

Too… Hook.

That had been the turning point in which Regina had finally managed to see what her subconscious had tried her to tell her; The pirate had been up to something and maybe if Emma was still with her she could know what lies the man had told them.

But the blonde wasn’t there so she needed to make something right to actually know if Emma and Hook were still on that time line and if the book was still with them.

And that was the reason she had kept on actually searching for something, something that she knew Rumplestiskin had always near him or near the castle; a book. A very special book although it wasn’t the book that she was already searching for. No, Rumplestiskin’s book was something much more normal but also important since in there was the only rule that could help her understood what had happened when she had been sleeping.

And she went over every magic spell she knew to attract the book, Emma’s words over the previous nights resonating on her head once and again. The woman had trusted her; she was going to repay the favor.

* * *

 

_Storybrooke: Present_

“You didn’t tell me what happened with the Ice Queen” Commented Emma as she started the car.

“She wanted to found her family” Replied David, fiddling with the hem of his shirt “She wanted to meet you in fact, something about actually knowing you for another time, Elsa and Anna helped us and as far as I know she is still alive on Arendelle, I didn’t grasp every detail but it was something about her sisters”

“So Anna is alive?” Emma asked, speeding to Rumple’s shop as David nodded.

“Yes, alive and well, I suppose you could go to Arendelle and actually talk with the three of them”

“It would be good” Replied the blonde as she put the car next to Mr. Gold’s, her iron grip on the wheel finally loose. “Let’s go then, I need to know a little more about magic before talking with Henry about Regina”

“You think she is well?” Asked shyly David as both of them entered in the shop.

“Regina?” Replied Emma with a soft smile on her lips “Yes, I really think that she is well and alive”


	19. The contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hello! Well, as you see I’m treating you well and I’m updating faster this time ;) Also, to the interested ones IWTEQ is going to be on hiatus for a few months. Words of desire, however, is going to resume as planned and I’m open to prompts for it since I’m finishing catching up with the words that I was asked.
> 
> As I have been posting I’m also trying to find some kind of cover for Coffee Black News so if anyone is interested or has an idea please contact me on tumblr (shadowdianne).
> 
> And with that on with the story! This chapter is a little dialogue heavy, I’m using a lot of “ex machina” in this chapter and I’m deeply sorry for that but in here is the explanation of how I have played this whole time travel thing and is time that Emma actually knows a something about Hook. (Yes, he is going to pay)

_“Regina?” Replied Emma with a soft smile on her lips “Yes, I really think that she is well and alive”_

_Storybrooke: Present_

Gold was reading something on one of his old books and barely raised his head when David and Emma approached the wooden table that served as counter.

“Well, look who is here” The old man muttered while smirking knowingly under his nose.

Emma sighed; she really didn’t want to waste time with the man’s usual games.

“Gold, I have a question” The blonde’s tone made the old man look at her direction, dark eyes narrowing as they seized the woman’s face.

“What I can do for you then?” Asked as he continued passing pages of the book that looked almost as old as him.

“When everything happened I heard a sound coming from the direction in which later a column of fire appeared” Started the woman and she smiled apologetically at David when he gasped. “Yes, it wasn’t pretty” Conceded quickly before turning to Gold once again “I have been thinking and the only thing that I can come up with is that the sound was magic related”

The dark one hummed and closed the book with flick of his wrist.

“The sound was magic related but it wasn’t something that another magic being could possibly have created” Answered, eyeing carefully at Emma who frowned before speaking.

“But the sound could be heard moments before the fire appeared”

Gold nodded once again and touched his lips with his left hand, his eyes wandering through the shop as if another thought occupied his mind.

“You are the product of true love” Started after a few tense seconds, his eyes locking with Emma’s. “Your magic is mostly white, even if you had duality inside of you the source of your magic is not something that you have stolen, like myself or taught, like our lost Queen”

Emma fought the need to remark that Regina wasn’t lost but judging by David’s face she preferred to keep silent.

“That’s why Cora couldn’t take your heart; your magic reacted to her own magic. You can suffer from magic attacks just like everyone else but you have an especial tolerance to a few spells. You magic was the one that created that sound inside of you. It made you to got up and saw what was happening”

The man’s voice faded and Emma blinked, a few more pieces of the puzzle appearing on her mind as she watched the now closed book of Gold and the way his hands fidgeted with it.

“Cora would have known that? With only a glimpse I mean”

Gold closed his eyes and smiled briefly as he understood what Emma wanted to know.

“She could have sense that you have magic but no, however, I could have known if I had been on a world full of magic when we first met dearie”

Emma nodded and put her hands on the counter, her eyes leveling with Gold’s as David looked at both of them with a confused look on his face.

“Gold, one more question, how is that you cannot remember anything from what happened?” Emma’s green eyes gleamed as she spoke, she had been sure but know, after Gold’s explanation she was more than sure that it had been the man before her and not Cora’s who had attacked them.

The man shrugged but kept his smirk on place as he opened the book once again, his long fingers caressing the pages.

“I suppose I took a potion for it, it’s not good to know your own future. Time travel tends to do that”

Emma narrowed her eyes, glancing quickly at the pages of the book as Gold kept passing them.

“That means that you were told something that could have changed your own future?” Asked and when Gold smiled at her she smiled back, feeling that she was closer to discover what had happened.

“Possibly that was the reason dearie. But I can’t tell you anything about since I forgot what that actually was”

Emma moved from the counter and walked pass David, looking briefly at the various items on the shop while trying to think how Regina would approach the problem that was in front of her.

She knew that Regina wasn’t dead, it wasn’t only wishful thinking, she had seen the woman’s growth, she was strong, determined, Regina wouldn’t never have fallen so easily. And it was her turn to help her from there.

She wasn’t ready to dwell on the why but just as turned to Gold again she steeled herself.

“Thing is we didn’t tell you anything compromising, unless you could have opened the book or someone else have told you something that you didn’t wanted to hear”

Gold kept silent but Emma saw the tiny flicker of understanding shining on the man’s eyes.

“The book, the fairy tale book, didn’t travel with us, that means that you had it in the past. There are two things that I find possible, one is that you managed to open and read what was going to happen and you then decided to drink a potion or…”

“Or someone like our beloved Queen was alive at that moment and actually told me something” Finished the man with a contrite smirk on his face as Emma nodded. “Is quite interesting to think that”

“But then you wouldn’t remember now what had happened before you drank the potion?” David asked, trying to find an explanation while his daughter and Gold kept looking at each other.

“Since for me everything has already passed I’m already suffering the potion reaction. It doesn’t matter that for us the later events hadn’t passed, we are already suffering the effects of it” Explained Gold dismissively as he read the pages of the book once again, his eyes scanning the pages as Emma approached the counter once again, her eyes changing quickly from them to Gold’s features.

“What are you searching?” Asked as she tried to read some of the letters that were carefully written but it was useless, the language appeared to be unintelligible for her.

“A contract, a very special contract” Answered the man as he kept reading.

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

Rumplestiskin personal quarters opened as if the heavy doors were mere parchment under Regina’s enraged eyes.

“You” Called as Rumplestiskin turned, his skin gleaming under the lights of hundreds of candles.

The man, who was turning straw into gold in one corner of the room merely smiled before approaching the brunette, greeting her with a quick and mocking bow.

“Is something bothering you?” He asked with his screeching voice.

“You could say that” Replied Regina as she handed him a book that seemed to be as old as the man. “Or you could actually tell me what game you are playing”

The dark one didn’t hide his cruel smirk this time and nodded quietly before moving back to the spinning wheel.

“What have you found, dearie?” Rumplestiskin asked while the straw kept moving under his gaze.

“A contract” Replied Regina “A contract between Killian "Hook" Jones and yourself. You wanted proof? That’s the proof”

Rumplestiskin cackled at that but he didn’t move when Regina moved another step towards the man.

“I know you, Rumple, you were my teacher, you made me The Queen of The Enchanted Forest, so long ago than for you is still future. And you know what I learnt?”

The dark one turned and Regina hid a tremble as those reptilian eyes locked with hers, the muddy green making her remember pristine forest green eyes.

“I learnt that you never left this book reachable, this is the book in which you kept every little contract that you have made until it’s time to make the others pay. This book is the main reason of your existence. When I finally found it I realized something. You want to know what it was?”

Rumplestiskin giggled but didn’t say anything, the spindle jumping as the golden straw kept stacking at their feet.

“You wanted me to find the book” Finished Regina with her teeth bared as she moved closer to the man, her voice as imposing as ever. “You wanted me to realize what had happened. The question is, why?”

The two of them kept staring at each other until Rumplestiskin laughed darkly, his hands moving quickly as they grabbed the book, hundreds of contracts flashing  as he hide it.

“You are quite intelligent. I’m glad to know that our association is going to be so fruitful.”

Regina didn’t answer to that and kept waiting until the man’s face broke into another dark smirk.

“Perhaps” Started the dark one moving over the room and extinguishing the candles. “You are aware of my feud with the pirate”

The brunette nodded briefly under the man’s stare but she didn’t say anything else.

“Well” Continued Rumplestiskin “Every ounce of magic requires a price, I’m merely the one that does the contract and provides the magic. But the power that that contracts holds… well is the power that I decide to keep until I decide otherwise. And this time the price to pay is just too interesting to not accept it”

Regina narrowed her eyes as the last piece of the puzzle fell in place.

“You wanted me to know what the pirate had done to make him pay for it”

The dark one laughed with a humorless laugh as he approached the woman again, his steps quick and nimble as he eyed the dark gaze of Regina.

“You see, what I once lost was my credibility, now he is going to lose everything he had claimed as his”

 “And the book?” Regina asked eyeing the man suspiciously.

“I have already seen what I wanted” Replied Rumple with bared teeth.

“And what is that?” Regina raised her chin as the man kept staring at her with amused eyes.

“That you will need something more to open it”

_Storybrooke: Present_

Emma looked at the contract for the third time in the same amount of minutes, the language had been impossible to understand until Gold had translate it but the words were there and Hook’s firm was also there, written on dark ink.

“I don’t recall having this contract signed” Was saying the dark man to an enraged David “But it’s here and from the details that our… savior had told us I can very well imagine that this is the contract that I was searching for”

“You did know that it was here, didn’t you?” Asked Emma, her teeth clenched as she read the terms of the contract once again.

The dark one shook his head and approached the young woman while pointing at the contract.

“No, but I knew that if someone had attacked my castle I would have recorded it somewhere”

Emma closed the old book with such force that she was surprised that the cover didn’t fall of.

“I’m going to talk with Hook and you” Said, turning to glare at Rumple “I know that you thought this, you knew that I was going to be awake, you knew that I was going to ask yourself this questions, you already knew everything”

Gold smiled but didn’t say anything until both David and Emma were out of the shop.

“It’s the time that the ones who hasn’t pay pay what they deserve”


	20. The truth

_Storybrooke: Present_

David barely caught a glimpse of a very enraged Emma before the blonde woman started running, the parked car forgotten by the young woman as she marched towards what David suspected was the dinner.

“Emma” He called; already trying to reach her but his daughter was faster that he had suspected “You don’t know if you can trust Gold” David screamed at the top of his lungs as he started running as well, his voice breaking a little at the end as Emma suddenly stopped and turned, her emerald gaze dark with fury and a glimpse of worry.

“I know he was” Emma replied, her fists so tightly closed that her knuckles were turning white “I know that, Kil… Hook’s signature was there, the terms of the contract were clear, Gold wasn’t lying”

“Emma…” David repeated as he walked closer to the shorter woman, his eyes inspecting Emma’s as he raised his right hand, trying to touch the blonde’s cheek.

“If that contract was signed by Regina you would believe Gold” Continued Emma, her voice barely wavering for a second “And you know it”

David nodded sadly because he knew that it was true, the contract was clear and the terms of it were also readable, Hook had traded the book with a passage to Storybrooke, without Regina. The paper didn’t say anything about Regina’s state but as far as he had understood Rumple’s words the woman must have survived the strange magic fire that Emma had seen.

“You said once” The man finally talked, trying to voice his words as soft as possible “That even if you knew that Regina had done terrible things here she was just Regina”

Emma’s jaw closed so strongly that even David could hear the sound of it and licked his lower lips as a response.

“I can only see a pirate, and if I would have asked him sooner when I first saw him in the past what I could sense that it was off maybe Regina would have been here when we traveled”

And with that Emma turned and resumed her running, leaving David behind.

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

Regina huffed as the book remained silent, Rumplestiskin’s laughter echoing the walls of the castle as the man watched the brunette’s failure once again.

“What I’m doing wrong, you Imp?” Growled the woman as two fireballs spurted from her hands. Her dark eyes glowed with the magical fire and even the man before her gulped visibly at that.

“You have the lock but you don’t have the key” Chanted the dark one in reply, making the brunette growl once again as that have been the reply the other hundreds of times that she had tried to open the book.

After her discovery of Rumple’s book the man had decided to help her with her travel back home. Even if Regina was aware that the man only wanted to help her in order of fulfilling his desire of taking revenge over the pirate she was willing to listening to him.

But the book didn’t open and therefore her ticket to traveling back home was inexistent.

“And what key is that?” She screamed at the coward man, turning back to the closed book. Her hands grabbed the cover and tried to open it but it didn’t move.

“The same key that you used to travel here, dearie” Rumplestiskin informed her once again, his final giggle making Regina bite her lips until she tasted blood.

“It was ink what we used and I can’t use the ink if the book is closed, you idiot” Regina replied as she directed her gaze to the flask of ink that seemed to glow mockingly at her.

“Maybe it wasn’t the ink” Muttered the dark one “Maybe it was something else”

The brunette woman sighed and directed her attention to the flask, trying to think of a spell that could help her. She had already tried everything she could think off but she still needed to find a solution.

Blinking, her tired brain repeated the strange words that the dark one kept repeating at her back “Maybe it was something else”

What that could be? She had used the ink, they had used it numerous times as they traveled over her past, the ink was the key, there wasn’t anything else.

But even if she dismissed that ridiculous though that Rumple kept repeating over and over again her brain kept chanting the words, her thoughts already going back to the moment in which Emma and her had traveled the first time.

The open book, the open flask, Merlin’s ink, Emma’s words, the void, the Enchanted Forest…

Regina’s eyes swirled with purple as the memory came to her once again, it hadn’t be that, yes, the ink had been there, they had used it. But the ink wasn’t the key; it wasn’t the key to the book, or to what she wanted to do.

The ink had been merely a channel to do it. It had been what always seemed to create a magical ripple: Emma’s touch.

_Storybrooke: Present_

Emma’s fingers protested when the woman punched Hook’s nose, but the piercing scream that filled the air of the dinner was enough to make it worth it.

For a second everybody stilled, looking at the young woman with open and confused eyes as Emma looked at the now whimpering man before her, even Henry, who was now drinking at Snow’s side, was looking at the scene with a furrowed expression.

“You lied” Emma said, her voice harsh and cold as David finally arrived at the place with a somber expression that didn’t quench everybody confusion.

“Emma?” Snow asked, carefully moving to her daughter’s side as Emma kept staring at Hook, her piercing eyes never wavering as the pirate’s kept filling with tears because of the pain.

“Let her talk” Muttered David as he finally approached the group, his eyes glancing at the rest of the citizens that were looking both at Emma and Hook’s figures. “Emma and I have discovered that what she is saying is true, Hook lied, Regina is alive”

“And he was the one who tried to make everything disappear” Emma added with rage, her voice barely covering Henry’s gasp as the rest of the people inside the place started talking. “Wasn’t it, Hook?”

The pirate coughed and tried to smile, the pain making him grimace instead of achieving her usual smirk.

“I love you, how can you say that?”

Emma growled and her eyes flashed with anger and blue magic, making the pirate lick nervously his lips.

“Gold has the contract that you signed, you lied and you tried to kill Regina. Tell me, Hook, that I’m a liar and I will punch you again”

Hook’s eyes darkened considerably as he moved forward, trying to reach Emma with his good hand.

“Rumplestiskin wouldn’t ever have helped us if we didn’t give him what he wanted”

“That wasn’t Regina!” Screamed Emma as she launched at Hook, only being stopped by her father when she was about to hit Hook again “And you know it Hook, try to tell me the truth for once because Henry is now without his mother only because of you”

The teenager only nodded when everybody, Granny and Ruby included, looked at him, his eyes locked with Hook’s figure.

The pirate didn’t speak but when he was the one that tried to attack Emma the woman was prepared to block the attack, her years as a bail bonded person kicking in just in time.

“I would say that you need to go but that isn’t what you deserve” Spitted the blonde sheriff at Hook. “And you are going to pay for this, but now that I know that Regina is alive I’m going to bring her back” And with that the woman turned, leaving everybody in the dinner speechless. Henry didn’t say a word as he followed his blonde mother outside the dinner.

David handcuffed the pirate and he didn’t hold his smug smirk as Hook glared at him.

“I told you, Hook, you weren’t good”

Hook laughed brokenly at that, his parted lips making visible the blood that covered them, Emma’s punch far stronger than what it had appeared at first.

“And Regina is?”

Snow, who had been silent until now, nodded earnestly.

“She has changed”

Hook didn’t say a word about that but as David drag him out he laughed and spitted, the sudden silence inside the dinner the last thing that David could sense.


	21. The Denial

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

Regina bit her lips for the umpteenth time, the taste of blood teasing her taste buds as she swallowed nervously. She was still grabbing the book, her nails digging slightly on the cover as she paced, the enormous room now feeling tiny and suffocating with each passing second.

In one corner of the room the glimmering eyes of the dark one glowed with malice, he had understood the link as soon as he had sensed it but, as it seemed, the one that was going to make entire reigns shiver and cry under her fist hadn’t been conscious of it.

“Why?” Asked Regina, her voice loud but her eyes glancing at the book, the pages cracking as she tried to open it once again.

Rumplestiskin didn’t say anything, his head tilted to one side as he tried to see the possibilities of what he had discovered, the woman’s voice breaking in front of her as Regina finally seated once again, the book making a loud noise as it was thrown at the table by the confused brunette.

“That’s not the question you want to ask dearie” The dark one muttered with a glint of mischievousness resonating in his voice as Regina closed her eyes, her magic growing inside of her as it reached for the book, for what the brunette had left behind.

* * *

 

Regina knew that Rumplestiskin was right; the question wasn’t why but she didn’t really know what question was in order. She had been taught by the dark one, she knew every spell, every potion as well as every curse; she was the one that could effectively defeat any other foe because of her magical prowess.

But she had been blind to the connection, of what it meant, until it seemed to be already too late to actually do anything about it.

Regina laughed an insincere laugh as she rested her forehead on her hands, her palms feeling hot to the touch, as if she was running a fever; Emma’s touch had been warm every single time, protective even and her mind seemed to want to make her remember every single time in which the blonde had touch her.

She knew the theory; magic always came with a price, death can’t be undone, you can’t make anyone love you and, certainly, the most powerful magic is true love.

Emma was the poster child of those rules, she was the magical being without a price to pay since she had been born with it, the true love that her parents had was running permanently through her veins, fueling her magic. Her touch didn’t really need to mean nothing.

Unless… it actually meant something.

Regina could recall the brief moment in which Emma had laid her right hand on her biceps, the way that magic had seemed to surround them, washing over them and making Regina regain her powers once again. But she hadn’t think about the fact that Emma’s magic wasn’t even awaken then, the magic that had been seen in that moment had been only Regina’s. Emma had always make her magic stronger, every single time that Emma had been there Regina’s magic had turned brighter, better.

And that wasn’t because of Emma’s own magic, it was because of Regina, it was because of what Emma could actually do to her.

And that, Regina thought as she clenched her teeth, a sea of emotions drowning her slowly, was something that she wasn’t ready to face.

_Storybrooke: Present_

“Where are we going?” Henry asked as he tried to run after his blonde mother, although he was now taller than a few years back Emma’s steps were still difficult to follow. “And when are you going to tell me what exactly had happened in there?”

Emma sighed and shook her head trying to clear her head as she tried to form a plan to bring Regina back.

“You heard me, Hook lied, he made a deal with Rumplestiskin and he thought that he was going to make everybody fall for it”

Henry frowned as his mother nodded to herself before running towards the entrance of the woods.

“But” He said, running after her as fast as he could “What kind of deal? And why Mr. Gold would have showed you that?”

“I think that Gold has his own agenda kid” Replied Emma, her eyes narrowed as she tried to find the path that Regina had talked about “But the point is that the contract exists”

Henry nodded and followed Emma once the woman’s face brightened, their steps in the woods quickly turning into a hike along one of the hills that circled Storybrooke.

“Why do think that Gold is saying the truth?” Henry asked, panting slightly as they started to walk of what seemed to be an old path between the fallen leaves that covered the wood’s floor.

“I know it” Replied Emma, her voice not as tired as Henry but her chest heaving when they finally made it to the top of the path, a gigantic wooden house welcoming them as they finally entered into a clearing.

Henry looked at the blonde sheriff, the idea that his other mother was alive was starting to grow on him and the sadness that he had been feeling since Hook had uttered the words was fading but he still felt uneasy about Gold and everything that had transpired on the few days that both of his mothers had been missing.

“You really think that she is alive?” Henry asked, his voice low but clear and even if the tone was deeper than when Emma had first met him the blonde could tell in that moment how young Henry really was.

She approached him and embraced his frame as strong as she could, trying to make him feel as secure as she could.

“You know your mother, she is going to tell us that we have being lazy for waiting this much to bring her back” Emma replied, her tone light but her throat feeling tight as she finished the last word, the sudden fear of Regina being in actual danger hitting her in the back of her mind as Henry snorted in-between her arms.

“Yes, probably” The boy finally muttered as he untangled himself from Emma’s hug “Why are we here though? It was here where we sent Elsa, Anna and Kristoff back to Arendelle”

“Your mother told me that we traveled thanks to a gift that Merlin gave her” Explained the blonde walking towards the house. “After a few more talking she told me the existence of this place and I supposed that… have you already being here?”

Henry nodded and pointed at the main entrance of the house.

“Yes, Mr. Gold found this place as well as a passage to travel between worlds or something like that, I noticed a few things that looked magical, maybe one of them can help us to bring mom back”

Emma hummed softly and walked with Henry towards the house until both of them were looking to the incredibly big door.

“Well” Emma said to her son “Let’s see what we can find”

**A/N A little side note: Since it was Hook who was “forced” to show the gate to Arendelle to the Frozen cast I decided to make it as it happened on the series with Rumple being the one who showed them the place. If anyone was having doubts.**


	22. The return

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

The book remained closed but Regina didn't even growl, already predicting what was going to happen even after the magic blast that she had shot to it.

"That's not how is going to open, dearie" Rumplestiskin said as she raised his eyes from the book in which he had his contracts perfectly aligned. "You need something more… powerful"

The brunette closed her eyes, baring her teeth at the man's giggle while the sun at the other side of the windows started its descent; she didn't know how much time she had passed in front of the book but the words and the revelation that the Imp had made her realize was something already echoing inside her head, giving her hope as well as fear.

"I can't reach for her this time" Replied, punctuating each word with a fire ball that grew and circled The Dark one's head for a second before disappearing.

She knew that she had already admitted that what Rumple had implied was correct but she didn't want to think about it anymore. Or how about she was trapped in a time line in which she was going to be hated while Emma remained at the other side of it with Henry.

"I'm really tired of fate" She said, pinching her nose as she tried to came up with another spell, her energy slowly draining as blast after blast she tried to open the stubborn cover.

"That's funny" Replied Rumple with a devilish smirk on his face, his eyes moving slightly to the fire that had appeared magically in candles once the sun was too weak to lighten the place properly anymore.

"Don't start" Regina's voice was hoarse and as she looked at her hands she tried to conjure anything as stronger as what Emma had conjured without realizing the first time that they both had touched.

The brunette steeled herself as Emma's presence started to take over her body, the giggling at her back never stopping.

_Storybrooke: Present_

The house's door opened without any problem but once they were inside the house Emma's hair stood on, the magic visible even to her. There was an eerie silence as well as something that both Emma and Henry could only describe as ghostly. In every corner of the first room they entered they felt that very same presence watching them, analizing their movements.

Finally, after a few tries to found the room that Henry had found in his first visit to the house Emma straightened her back and looked ahead of her, one of her hands trying to keep Henry as close as hers as possible, not trusting Merlin or his house at all.

"I know that you gave a flask of Ink to Regina" Emma started, her voice filling the place and the magical silence disappeared, her words bouncing from wall to wall until the presence that both of them had been feeling grew, surrounding them.

"I did gave that flask of ink to the Evil Queen" A male's voice boomed and Emma could feel Merlin's magic caressing her body, almost as if it was curious about it. Or about the magic that run through the blonde's veins.

"She is my mom" Henry said, making Emma look at him feeling proud but scared of what Merlin was going to say.

"She is many things" Conceded the ghostly presence after a few more minutes of silence, the candles of the room lighting up as the last remains of sun disappearing at the other side of the open windows.

"She is not the Evil Queen anymore" Emma replied, turning at her side as she felt how the energy moved in that direction, almost as if Merlin was walking around her. Moving her feet nervously she tried to figure out how many escape routes she could use if everything turned out badly but she didn't found anyone. She finally looked at where the magical energy seemed to have condensated and swalled, images of Regina, both young and adult filling her mind. "And you know it"

The magical energy seemed to smile at that, a sudden change around the cloud that seemed to cover both Henry and her dissipating slightly while Emma could sense how Henry was getting restless.

"So, if you know that what do you want for me?" Merlin asked, the power in his words making Henry hug his mother tighter as Emma narrowed her eyes, her usual protective nature taking over.

"I want to know what it needs to be done to open the book that you knew she was going to use to travel in time"

"I did not knew such a thing" The presence replied but Emma took a step closer to the ghostly remains of the wizard. Maybe she couldn't see him but she could sense the lies.

"You knew, as much as Gold suspected what was going to happen" Emma said, clenching her jaw as she took another step, Henry walking carefully at his side, the presence inside the room only barely noticeable to him. "I'm tired of your games, so tell me what…"

"The only thing that can open the book is the very same thing that closed it in the first place. The Queen won't come here unless someone is already here opening the portal"

The magician's words made Emma smile for a second before Henry's voice resonated in the room, the magical energy turning its attention to him even if Emma tried to shield the dark haired boy from it.

"And what we need to do to open the portal?"

Emma felt another change on the presence and this time she almost could picture a smirk emerging from invisible lips.

"True love"

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

"Let's say that I have feelings for Ms… Emma" Regina said while finally turning to Rumplestiskin, the man nodding solemnly even if he kept his smirk on place. "How is that going to help my current situation Imp? She is not here, we cannot perform magic together"

"Unless she will do it of course" The dark one replied, his accent thickening for a second as another giggle escaped his lips "You are trying to return back to a place whereas time travel resides on what it makes you attached to someone."

Regina groaned again as she looked back at the book, the words of the cover slightly jarred because of the travel through different time lines.

"It's the last deal that I'm going to make with anybody" She muttered as she tried to focus not only on Henry and Storybrooke but also on Emma, the blonde's encouraging words those past few days making her think of how infuriatingly stubborn the woman could really be.

But she had trust her, she had been the first one to really do without any second ideas about her, without deals that needed to be done and as she thought about her she realized that it needn't to be convenient to be actually attached to the blonde as she already confided in her, even when the blonde had made mistakes once and again. She had earned her trust and if she was truthful she had already thought of Emma and her, she had already have that possibility inside of her head. It needn't to be true love, she reminded to herself, David had been true love, he had been that first hope and Emma would understand that. But Emma could be Regina's new path, without any fate writing her lines for her.

In front of her, in the center of the battered front cover of the book, a red light emerged swirling as it grew, the magic that surrounded the place being sucked in by it.

"Congratulations, you have opened the portal" The Dark one said gleefully.

_Storybrooke: Present_

"True love" Emma repeated unbelievingly "All we needed was true love, Regina's true love"

Merlin's magic caressed her own once again making both Henry and she shiver as it retreated once again.

"Then it's easy, what I need to do?" Henry asked brightly considering how he was going to finally be a hero.

"Not you, you don't have magic that you can longer use" The presence informed mother and son "It's the savior who needs to be the one that opens the portal if she really wants to bring the Queen back"

Emma fumed for a second, mad that Merlin seemed to even doubt about her intentions when the words that the magician had said finally settled in.

"Wait, I'm the one that can bring Regina back?"

"It has its logic Ma" Henry mussed as he finally moved from her "You are the product of true love, it's normal to think that are the one capable for this"

"Kid…" Emma replied but the magician's voice interrupted her once again.

"That's not the answer but it will be the one that it's going to work." Merlin replied and Emma avoided her son's gaze as she took another step towards the magical being.

"All right then" The blonde finally muttered while she raised her hands, the magic inside of her responding almost instantly at her commands, a white magical void forming in front of her as she kept her thought on Regina, the woman's story repeating once and again inside of her, the younger version of the brunette growing and turning into someone that Emma could actually see behind the brunette's many layers.

_Enchanted Forest: Past_

The magical light that surrounded both Regina and the book suddenly grew and changed its color, the blazing white light bathing Regina and making The dark one retreat slightly.

"You will drink the potion, won't you?" Regina asked, barely looking at the figure that she could assume was the imp. She wasn't disappointed when Rumple's voice filled the space with a mischievous laugh accompanying it.

"I will, but you better hurry dearie"

And with that Regina forced the cover until it opened, the words of the enchanted forest stories swirling until they arrived to the only page that had been in a blank state before the little mishap that had actually made both Emma and Regina go there.

With a smirk on her own Regina opened the flask and let the magic wash over her, taking her to another realm.

* * *

She really didn't open her eyes once she felt her surroundings changing, the happy scream of Henry and the fierce hug that went with it enough clue that she had done it.

When she finally parted her eyelids Emma was looking at her with fear and happiness glowing inside her eyes.

"Welcome back" The blonde said with a bright smile as Henry hugged again.

**A/N So… yeah, why Rumple would help Regina? Mainly because she wants to make Hook pay and he knows that she needs to return her to its own time to make that happen, it isn't good to keep a time paradox trapped in a single time. I'm going to use the general theories about time travel there (which had been the ideas that I have been tossing around for this story) but Rumple wants to achieve that revenge so in order to do that he is playing with both sides once again.**

**And again, why would Merlin help Emma? That is going to be explained better in the last chapters of the story but let's say that since this is Storybrooke everyone's had a secret agenda. Even the one that is trapped inside a house.**


	23. The confirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hi there! I don’t know how many of you read “Because of her” but as I told in the author’s note in that one shot Inked Future is going to have three to four more chapters. After that the only multichapted ones I’m going to work on are the three Aus that I have, the lisqueen’s manips turned to fanfiction plus the occasionally one shots and drabbles that I tend to write so if anyone want to ask me for prompts I’m here and willing to write!

_"Welcome back" The blonde said with a bright smile as Henry hugged her again._

Both Emma and Regina looked at each other as Henry kept babbling between them, the dark haired boy happy to see his mother as well as anyone could be and he had already explained to Regina that Hook was in custody, waiting for a punishment.

"How fitting" The brunette had said with a dark smile and Emma had wanted to say, to scream, that it was far from fitting, that Hook deserved something that would made him think twice the next time he thought about betraying them, about murdering someone. With a look Regina had calmed her but Emma still felt the rage inside of her.

After that they had left Merlin's house and the ghostly presence that Emma could have sworn had lingered for a second as they crossed the main door of the mansion. Something that couldn't be possible since Merlin was imprisoned for life but the bitter taste of doubt had lingered on her mouth until Regina's concerned eyes had locked into hers once again, the woman's chocolate irises keeping her calm when all she wanted to do was ask if she was truly ok.

But both of them had remained silent, the tension growing steadily while they let Henry lead the conversation, the boy telling them everything that had happened while they had been out even if Emma knew that that information was more for Regina's shake than for her. And she thanked Henry for that even if the teenager still didn't grasp everything that was actually happening.

"So at the end the Ice Queen only wanted a family" Henry finished just as the three of them reached the city limit.

Regina, who seemed to have actually been paying attention, left Emma's eyes and smiled at her son warmly while Emma looked at her boots suddenly feeling self-conscious.

She needed to talk with Regina after what exactly had meant the fact that they had opened a portal between time and realms. She needed an explanation on why Merlin had said that she was the True Love that Regina needed.

And as Henry turned out and hugged her while Regina kept looking at her with a mix of fear and something that Emma couldn't identify Emma said to herself that she needed an explanation about why Regina was making her feeling like she was with only a glance.

The moment, however, passed and Regina smiled at her quickly before asking Henry if he was sure on sleeping at her house. At the boy's affirmative response Emma licked her lips and opened her mouth, a stupid idea taking form on her mind.

"Can we talk?" The words were out before she could overthink them and the startled look that Henry gave her was almost as priceless as Regina's strangely softened eyes "I know you are tired but…"

Regina nodded, her eyes shimmering with something that made Emma felt her own heart three times bigger and as they marched together towards the mayoral mansion the blonde finally felt at ease with herself.

* * *

They were talking for a few more minutes once they arrived Regina's house, Henry doing most of the talking once again since Emma couldn't really focus on something else apart from Merlin's words; Regina's glances not making her particularly willing to actually listen to their son.

"Did you finally open the book?" Henry asked after Regina told him the summary of what they had actually live on the Enchanted Forest.

Regina could feel the question on Emma's eyes son when she finally nodded she glanced quickly at the blonde before looking at the boy once again.

"I did, but it's better if we talk about this tomorrow" Regina replied as softly as she could, Henry's disappointed face making her swallow.

She still was holding the book between her hands and the magic in it was palpable for her, she doubted that even Emma, with her nearly zero preparation could actually not sense it, but she was too afraid of reading what it was there to do it in front of Henry. Not at that moment.

"Let's put you in bed then kid" Emma said as gentle as she could.

And even if Regina would have liked to be the one to make Henry go to bed she mouthed a quick thank you as both Emma and Henry walked in, the boy muttering something along the lines of how a grown-up he was now.

* * *

"He is out" Emma whispered to Regina a few minutes before, her features were framed by the fire that Regina had lighted in her study, the book laying in front of her, unopened.

"He had been always a fast sleeper" Regina replied, a smile on her lips as she tried to look anywhere but Emma, the green eyes of the blonde following her full of curiosity and something that made her nervous and unbalanced.

"Lucky him" Emma said, her voice strained as she took seat in next to Regina, the older woman nodded but sighed as she pointed at the book.

"It's empty"

Emma frowned as she focused on the book, her right hand reaching from it and opening it, the brunette was right, every single page was now a blank surface, every story and picture had disappeared except for two drops of ink that must had been Regina's doing when she had traveled back at Storybrooke.

"How..?" Emma started but when Regina shrugged at her side, her right hand holding a glass full of something that looked stronger than cider as Emma swallowed and bit her tongue.

"It's funny how every time I reach for my happy ending it disappears" Regina said, her voice breaking slightly at the end as she scoffed, tears of rage filling her eyes as she drank from the now half-empty glass.

"Maybe it's not that what this means" The blonde said softly as she touched page after page, trying to find some kind of vestige for what it had been there.

"And then what it means Emma?" Regina's punctuated every syllable, a sour smile parting her lips as she sighed loudly this time "Because everything I see is dead end after dead end"

"Maybe the author isn't a person as we have suspected but ourselves" Emma said as softly as possible, her eyes looking at Regina's as she tried to make the older woman look straightly at her. "Maybe is this what Merlin wanted to show you, that at the end everyone can write books, or erase them"

Regina nudged closer to Emma, the glass moving dangerously in her loose hand as she drank again from it.

"So this is it? I will always be a villain?" Her words were bitter but not slurred and Emma thanked Regina's tolerance.

"You aren't a villain, you are you" Emma said as she shyly tried to make Regina smile, her own thoughts forgotten as Regina finally focused on her.

"You always so eloquent" Regina whispered and even if the words could be understood as bitter Regina's tired eyes told Emma a different story. "And so perfect in your savior costume"

Emma rolled her eyes at that, knowing that Regina merely wanted to make fun of her and she felt relieved that they could turn to that strange truthful stage that they had started to develop in the Enchanted Forest, even if there were still so many things that they needed to talk about.

"I don't wear a costume and you know it, pity for my parents really because I can imagine Snow kitting something for me to wear alongside with both David and her"

Regina laughed at that and even if she still eyed the book darkly when Emma finally put it down she let the moment pass without anything else but a smile.

"You said that you wanted to talk about something" Regina finally said, a vestige of smirk appearing on her lips for a second as Emma focused on her hands, that were now nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Yes" Emma confirmed although now that she was facing the older woman she couldn't remember why she had thought that that could actually be a good idea. "It's… I…"

The words were stuck on her throat and refused to come out, Emma let out a sigh after trying to start once again although now that she was under Regina's gaze what she had clear hours before seemed to be more and more stupid on her mind.

"I don't know what to say" The blonde finally said, the warmth of the place suddenly burning her skin and lungs as she felt increasingly nervous.

* * *

Regina refrained herself for licking her lower lip nervously when Emma finally raised her head and directed her green eyes at hers.

"I don't know what to say" Emma repeated, stronger this time. "I think I had some words prepared but they feel stupid now"

Regina didn't say anything as she recalled Rumplestiskin and Daniel's words, even the words that her younger self had screamed at Emma when the boy that she loved lied dead on the stable floor resonated through her, the relaxed atmosphere broken as Regina tried to maintain control of that images that were screaming inside of her, each one trying t make her listen to them.

"Then I think I will start by saying thank you" She finally said after a few moments in which Emma kept looking at her. "For everything you did"

Emma's eyes were filled with confusion for a second and Regina felt her heart beating crazily against her ribcage, something that hadn't happened for so much time that she almost couldn't understand what it meant.

"You have helped me with the book, even now that I don't know what has this all been about" Regina kept talking, her fingers tightly interlaced, her knuckles white. "And for that I'm grateful"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything else" Emma finally answered, her eyes leaving Regina's as they wandered through the room, everything was as she recalled that it had been a few days prior when she had opened the door of the studio with a very angry Regina at her side, vowing to hate her.

"As I said in the castle" Regina replied softly "What you did was more than enough, you don't need to apologize for anything that you did"

Emma scoffed at that and made Regina frown in confusion for a second as the blonde tried to explain herself.

"I heard a noise" Emma finally said "And I went to investigate it, thinking that it could be something dangerous. Turned out it was all Gold's idea and his spell made me both and Hook come back without you"

The sudden anger that filled those words made Emma swallow for a second as she tried to keep her feeling under control.

"Hook said that you could be dead and everyone seemed to believe him"

Regina didn't say anything as Emma told her how she had fought against that idea, how both Henry and her still wanted to believe that she was in fact alive.

"I didn't know that he was lying, or maybe yes but I couldn't wrap my head about what he was lying about. But then Gold show me the contract and I saw it" Emma's voice was now a whisper, her eyes unfocused as she kept talking "And I was furious with him, Regina, furious with the fact that he wanted to see you die, that he thought that he could actually make that happen, make me think that you were dead and alone."

"His plan failed" Regina said softly, making Emma look at her "You were able to discover the truth"

"There is more though" Emma said at the brunette, her heart pounding in her chest "When I went to Merlin and I told him that he needed to start giving me answers he told both Henry and I that opening portals was something… difficult to do"

Regina nodded, not sure where Emma wanted to go.

"And it was then when something inside of me clicked because I remembered that we have done that before" Emma continued, her face reddening as she recalled the brief second in which she had touched Regina's hand years ago. "And then… he told me something"

"What?" Regina asked, her voice sounding strange to her own ears, her throat clenching around the word as if it didn't know if she actually wanted to ask.

"He told me that you needed true love"

* * *

Regina felt as if the air around her was thinner and just for a second she could swore that her heart stopped beating only to be replaced but what seemed to be a pulsing light inside of her.

"I know that it sounds… well, we both know each other, we don't like labels, or cages, but truth is that you are here and I need to know what does that mean" Emma's eyes were pleading for comprehension although Regina knew that the blonde woman already suspected that everything Merlin had said to her was true.

"I don't want to do this" Regina heard herself saying as she moved closer to Emma's body, her whole skin tingling with nervousness.

Feeling rejected, Emma sighed and turned, pulling herself together as she moved slightly, leaving Regina more space, not wanting to make the other woman uncomfortable.

"Emma" The brunette said just as Emma was about to bolt, the soft way in which her name was pronounced making her stay for a few seconds, the ones Regina used to gently cup Emma's cheeks with both hands and kiss her, fear and doubts crumbling inside of her as their lips finally touched.


	24. The punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter and friendly reminder that I’m open to prompts and with more free time so if you want to make me write something please do it ^^  
> I mainly do SQ but I’m also open to Clexa, Rizzles and... well, a little bit of everything. Take care!

" _Emma" The brunette said just as Emma was about to bolt, the soft way in which her name was pronounced making her stay for a few seconds, the ones Regina used to gently cup Emma's cheeks with both hands and kiss her, fear and doubts crumbling inside of her as their lips finally touched._

* * *

Emma opened her eyes to find herself alone in Regina's study, a thick blanket covering her. As she stretched bits and pieces of what had happened the night before came back to her memory and she smiled a little at the empty room; kisses had escalated for a second but then Regina had merely asked to be held and that was the last thing Emma actually remember.

Rising herself from the comfortable divan that Regina kept in the studio -and Emma thought that maybe the reason of that was that she had spent many nights there without being able of sleeping the first she came to Storybrooke- she glanced at her phone and checked that it was in fact a little too soon for her.

"I knew that the smell of food would make you want to reunite with us" Regina's teasing voice sounded at her back making Emma turn with a blush already forming on her cheeks.

"Regina! I…" Emma swallowed, not knowing what she could do after last night's incidents; she had never been good with the morning after, even if that wasn't exactly one.

The brunette seemed to have realized the same thing because for a second both of them looked at each other as they tried to break the silence that hung between them.

"Are you two ready? I'm hungry" Henry complained from some point of the house and at the questioning glance of Emma Regina cleared her throat before turning her back to the blonde.

"He went to talk with me this morning to my room but as he saw that I wasn't there she came to look for me" Regina's explanation left Emma nodding, suddenly realizing that Regina was in fact wearing different clothes that she last remembered her; the ones she had been wearing all those days in the enchanted forest, and now she looked like the mayor Emma had once met.

"What have you told him?"

"Well" Regina said after closing the studio's door once Emma had walked through her, the blonde woman still fumbling a little with her own clothes that felt uncomfortable after spending the night with them. "You know your son; he always knows when to not ask something"

Even in her half sleepy state Emma caught the irony of those last words and turned to look at Regina with slight worried eyes. One thing was how both of them were with last night kisses but another different thing was how good their son could see the new… thing that had happened.

Even if Emma didn't really know if Regina wanted to keep with whatever they exactly were starting she wanted to be sure that their son was ready for that and being the amazing mother Regina was the brunette had probably thought of that several times by now.

"He is fine dear, you can see it for yourself" Regina finally said motioning to the kitchen in where Henry could be heard already eating something.

Emma entered in the room only to find Henry happily eating what looked like bacon, his face lightening slightly when he spotted his blonde mother.

"I was starting to think that mom was going to need to wake you up" The teen-age boy joked "Grandpa called and they want us to go to the station as soon as we can"

"Us?" Emma asked confused while stealing her son a piece of meat as Regina nodded, cup of coffee already on her hands.

"Yes, apparently your father decided that it was better to ask Henry if he was ok with seeing the pirate's punishment"

Although the words were carefully said Emma sensed the tension that filled the brunette's body, Henry picking it up as well judging his worried glance at Emma before speaking himself.

"Everyone is going to be there, besides Mom is the mayor, she needs to be there" The rest of the argument wasn't said but both women knew that David had probably wanted to make sure that both of them were ok.

"One thing kid, how is that everyone already know that Regina has returned?" Emma's question was met with an exasperated look from the boy but both women were now looking at him, Regina actually nodded to herself before drinking from her coffee mug.

"I told him yesterday when you left my bedroom thinking I was already asleep" Henry snickered a little when Emma raised her eyebrows, impressed that she didn't have picked up that she was being played. "David was worried about you because of what happened with Hook, I only told him that you have managed to bring mom back"

Regina sighed while Emma blushed a little miffed for not having seen that Henry had managed to fool her.

"Then we will go" The brunette interrupted Emma's thoughts while washing the mug.

"Are you sure?" Emma still doubted of what she was going to do with Hook and suspected that Regina didn't really have the time to think of that either.

"It's better if we finish with that" The brunette replied while Henry stood up and went to grab his coat, his face parted in what seemed nervous excitement and Emma noted that to discuss with the boy later about it. "Besides I'm not going to turn down the possibility of being in the right for all the citizens of Storybrooke, dear."

Humming Emma approached the older woman and stood in front of her, not sure if Regina wanted to be touched at that point or if what happened last night was still something that they could talk about in that situation.

But Regina smiled and nodded softly, her own eyes bathed in something that Emma saw as anxiety, maybe the same anxiety as she was feeling, the nervous feeling of someone that wasn't entirely sure of where they were standing.

"I would kill him myself" Emma finally said, her voice a soft murmur as the tension around them grew exponentially "I know I could do it"

"And that's reason because I am going with you." Regina replied "I told you in Neverland, your heart needs to be kept as you are, not as the rest of this world tries to make it. And that includes the pirate's punishment"

"What do you think is going to happen?" Emma bit her lower lip as Regina took a step forward, their bodies almost touching at that point.

"Giving that we are talking about your parents I expect something close to a pat in the back of his head and a very long reprimand but since they are asking for me…"

Emma was about to ask Regina more about it when Henry called from the main door.

"Mom, ma, c'mon"

* * *

They arrived at the station in no time thank to Regina's magic and when the purple smoke finally disappeared they found themselves in front of more people that they had thought off.

Belle and Gold were also there, the man smirking at the sight of an imprisoned pirate.

There were Robin and Marian as well and Emma clenched her jaw when she saw the longing look that Hood gave to Regina but the brunette merely glanced at the couple for a second before turning her face to David. The man was smiling smugly while Snow was holding Neal at his side.

"I didn't know this was a formal celebration" Regina's caustic voice made David flinch a little but it was the pirate who answered.

"I was saying the very same thing" Long gone where the brooding looks and soft eyes and Emma saw for the first time in a very long time the Hook that she had met once in the Enchanted Forest instead of the men that the pirate had tried to pass himself to be.

"Shut up" David said before neither Regina nor Emma could say anything. "Gold wanted to be here and…"

"We wanted to talk with you about leaving the town" Marian said with her voice cold and hard as iron, her eyes never leaving Regina's.

Emma was about to say something giving the hostility that Marian was displaying against Regina but the older woman looked at her direction for a second and shook her head, signaling that it was better to leave the situation to her.

Nodding reluctantly Emma approached her parents and hugged her father briefly, Henry already next to Snow while shooting daggers to Hook, who was comfortably seated in his cell without looking worried in the slightest.

"Very well, we will have that talk" Regina said before looking back to Gold, the man's smirk intensifying for a second and Emma had the sense that even if Gold had proclaimed that he didn't remember a thing there was something that he was hiding.

"Rumple"

"Regina, always a pleasure to see you, I would say that I'm slightly interested on what is going to be your punishment towards our leather covered friend"

Suddenly Hook's confident smirk vanished.

Emma looked at Snow for a second but the woman wasn't paying attention to her, her eyes set on Regina who had a surprised look on her face.

"My punishment?" Regina asked eyeing both David and Snow.

"Emma had repeated day after day that she trusts you" David said softly "And so do I"

Snow didn't say anything but her nod was enough confirmation for the rest and when Hook tried to say something it was Gold who gagged him.

"Stop" Regina commanded and Emma moved his right hand towards Gold, willing to make the old man stop but the man merely nodded at the brunette, silently saying something to the woman with his mischievous eyes that Emma didn't catch.

Once Hook was again on the floor without magic surrounding him Regina approached the metal bars of the cell and looked at him, her eyes wandering through the man's face.

"If all of this would have happened earlier in my life you would be dead" She stated calmly "Not only because of what you tried to do but also of all of the things that you have provoked to hurt me and my family" Those last words were forcefully said and even Emma shivered a little. "But then, what I have learnt is that I don't need to do any harm to make you regret what you did"

Hook started to relax, suddenly cocky once he was sure that he was going to survive.

"And since I'm better my punishment is to make you leave Storybrooke with the memories of what you were and without the possibility of being able to touch the sea as long as you live"

**A/N Agh, writing with a hangover is the worst, let me tell you…** **Anyway, I know, I didn't kill him but while I have a complete set of fantasies in which I kill Hook patiently and with a lot of pain neither Emma nor Regina would actually kill him. Emma because she is not like that and Regina because she isn't like that anymore. Actually I have this little head canon that it would be Ruby the one to actually kill him. Don't know why….**


	25. The hidden meaning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Ok, this is it, the end of Inked Future, it has been interesting on writing this story since I directly rewrote a whole season to fit what I thought was an interesting storyplot so…
> 
> It has been both interesting and irksome to write this at the end since I wanted to avoid the mistakes or loopholes that anyone can fall into when they are traveling through time. At the end I think I managed to write it like I wanted to. For the ones that read PS and Texts you already know that I’m a firm believer that a relationship comes from friendship, for a solid feeling that yes, can be lust or desire for the other but, at the end, if someone wants to make it right you need to fall in love with a friend, someone who knows you. And Emma already knew Regina before the time travel, she only saw her in a different time, where Regina looked up to Emma because she saw her as something that the actual Regina couldn’t see: Someone in which she could confide.
> 
> Anyway, enough with the rant, here it is the final chapter, I still don’t know if it’s going to be an epilogue or not. But for now… take care!

Emma looked at Regina, who was now focusing on Hook’s back as the man walked away down the road. The city limit had already been crossed by the pirate and even if Emma knew that Regina was aware that Killian couldn’t see them anymore she also knew that the other woman needed to see how the man disappeared in the distance.

Something that Regina had also needed when Robin, Marian and Roland had crossed the limit, their happy faces a complete opposite of the empty threats that Hook had cried as David carried him.

Robin had looked sad but a single glance at Marian had eased his mind and he had crossed alongside with his family without any problem, Roland had cried a bit and when he had hugged Regina Emma had touched the older woman’s back reassuringly. They were gone within minutes and Emma sensed that they weren’t going to see them again, not in a very long time at least.

But now, as Hook walked and screamed, looking back a few times and snarling at something that he couldn’t see Emma felt exhausted and judging by the quiet sigh that escaped Regina’s lips she wasn’t the only one.

Henry had refused to go with them, it looked that whatever conversation he had had with Regina before the punishment had left him with some things that he needed to think about, but Regina didn’t look worried so Emma had decided to not ask about it. On the contrary, Snow and David had insisted on being with them to the city limit and they were now smiling at each other as Hook gave one final howl and disappeared into the distance.

“You decided well, Regina” Snow said and even Emma wanted to make a face at the tone of her mother’s voice.

“He will suffer more living a life away of what makes him happy” Regina replied caustically and Emma hid a smile at her parents horrified looks.

“I was going to go with the whole skin him alive so…” She said jokingly and when her father looked at him she winked, making David laugh as Snow looked disturbed by her daughter’s words.

“It would have been interesting” Regina replied and her smile was full of the sultry bantering that Emma was fond of.

“I don’t think so” Snow muttered under her breath and David laughed again making his wife glare at him.

“Are you coming with us?” David finally asked after trying to avoid Snow’s glaring.

“I will see you guys later” Emma replied and she knew that her parents wanted to ask about what she could want to talk with Regina but after David’s cough Snow turned and walked away with her husband, both of them carefully avoiding to look back but walking slow enough to make clear to the both women that they were reluctant to left them alone.

A few minutes later the sound of the old David’s car filled the air and finally Emma turned to look at Regina, ready to ask if the brunette was right.

Regina, instead, looked at her and tilted her head while pointing at the now empty road ahead of them.

“It’s over, for now”

Emma didn’t ask what was Regina talking about, she already knew that in a place like Storybrooke everything changed at one point or another and they would certainly have another threat soon enough. But for now it was easy to finally relax knowing that they were finally in their own time line.

“I’m going to miss your younger self” She admitted with a smile “I prefer having you here but you were…”

“Don’t tempt me Miss Swan” Regina replied making Emma’s smile turn into a smirk when the brunette blushed slightly

“But it’s true, you were incredible!” Emma’s protests died on her lips when Regina approached her and touched her face with her right hand, the warmth touch of the older woman making Emma’s turn to blush.

“So were you” Regina’s reply was quiet; muttered against Emma’s blushing face but neither the blonde or herself moved one bit. Two sets of eyes, brown and green, looked nervously at parting lips and suddenly nervous tongues.

“Regina…” Emma tried to say but the older woman had already kissed her, her lips grazing softly Emma’s pale ones before letting go, leaving the younger woman looking completely dazzled as Regina smiled smugly at the blonde’s reaction.

“I think I said that it was better not to tempt me”

Emma’s reply was muffled by a sudden roar from somewhere near them.

“Again? We need to put something on the city line and tell monsters that we are on holidays” The blonde whined before turning and trying to discern from what part of the woods the sound came from.

“Don’t waste your time, I bet that is Merlin the one that we have just freed” Regina commented while fumbling with her phone and passing it to Emma “It’s better if you call your parents and ask them where they are, told them that Henry is at the deck, he was going to do something there”

“And how do you know that we are talking about Merlin?” Emma said as she called her parents with trembling fingers, the roar could be heard again and the blonde had the vague sensation of something caressing her magic, just as she had felt when she had gone to the mansion.

“Because of what you have already felt” The older woman replied forcefully “It explains why he gave me the ink so easily when I asked for help”

“He knew that we were going to kiss? But we haven’t make any rainbow like you did with Henry the last time” The blonde protested as she tried to call her parents once again, the first attempt futile.

“But I thought something different this time” Regina replied as a purple mist surrounded both of them.

As Emma felt being swallowed by the brunette’s magic she felt herself blush when a hand grabbed hers and tightened her grip around her fingers.

“I love you too” The blonde quickly thought as the mist disappeared around them.

And so, there they were again.


End file.
